We Are Flynn
by the.nerd.voice
Summary: Sequel to Katherine. As their family become more close knit than ever, people are revealed to be not all that they are presented to be. "You can't pick your family. They just are or they aren't." RaydorFlynn. Look for the sequel, Holidays in Utah.
1. Chapter 1

"Katie!" Sharon Raydor calls out, hearing the common sound of wheels against the wooden floor. She smirks down to the near nine month old, "It's a pity you get into everything. I'd love to let you out of that."

"Baby jail if you ask me." Rusty jogs into the kitchen, book bag flung onto his shoulder.

"You're opening those college letters when you get home today, mister. They have been sitting there all week and it's against the law for me to open them without your permission." She motions to the stack of three envelopes, giving him a look. "Thank you for watching her last night."

"Sam came over. It was fine." He nods.

"Oh? I didn't know she was over." Sharon pauses, "You didn't..."

"What?" The young man glances up, realizing what she was talking about, "Oh, God, Sharon. Really? You're one to talk."

"I had to ask." She puts a hand up in defense.

He shakes his head, "No, you really didn't. Is nothing sacred around here anymore? I catch you and Andy on the sofa one more time, I'm taking Katie and running away. Not to mention never sitting on that sofa again."

"Nothing happens on the sofa."

"Like I can believe that." He shakes his head, "Where's Andy anyway?"

"He stayed at work. This whole Hollywood Blade thing has us all working to the bone." Sharon sighs, "He let me come home to get you off in the morning and get Kate settled."

"It's scary as hell." He nods, "Lots of girls at school are really afraid."

"They shouldn't be, he's targeting prostitutes."

Rusty shrugs, "A lot of them are pretty stupid."

"I see." She smirks, "I'm getting everyone breakfast at the station. Want me to give you money so you can pick something up for yourself?"

"No, it's okay. I have to be really in the mood for breakfast food and I only ever want it when I make it."

"You're very good at making it."

"I'm picking up Sam on the way to school, so I'm just grabbing a Muscle Milk anyway."

"Here's your lunch." She hands him the brown paper bag, "You and Sam are pretty close."

"Honestly," He shrugs, "I'm afraid she'll kill herself if I try to break up with her."

Sharon pauses, "Really?"

He smirks, "No, but I'll see you later." Rusty kisses the top of Kate's head as she rolls herself into the kitchen. He jogs toward the door, the smirk evaporating from his face as he grabs his keys and heads out.

"Left alone, Katie." Sharon looks down to the girl who was now standing at her mother's feet, "If work wasn't so heavy right now, I'd let you come roll around up there. I know the everyone likes it, but right now I'm afraid you'll get trampled on." She folds her arms as the girls looks up at her, "How about some dry cereal and you let me get ready?" This was nearly a ritual with them. Sharon pours some cereal onto the girl's tray on her walker, and pulls her in front of the television. She slips the Baby Einstein DVD into the player, turning on the television, then locks the girl's wheels, "Ten minutes, tops, then you can come back." She leans down, kissing the top of her head.

Waiting until the movie fully catches the girl's attention, Sharon sprints to the bathroom, knowing she didn't have much time before the girl would begin to get frustrated by not being able to move. While being alone with her daughter, fast showers were the only way to go with her. She longed for the days where she could take twenty minutes and just let the water fall over her skin, washing away the tensions of the day. Now, it felt like sometimes she barely even touched the water.

Stepping out of the shower, Sharon can hear her daughter's usual yell. It wasn't crying, it was a simple yell to alert her to the walker not moving. She sighs, wrapping the towel around herself as she returns to the living room and unlocks the contraption. Sharon hears the wheels begin to follow her and can't help but shake her head and smile, "Really, Katie? Can't let me be for ten seconds?" She walks to her bedroom, taking out the blow dryer.

Though it seemed as if it were forever, Sharon finally arrives to work. Kate's walker lodged under her arm, she carries the girl up to her office, "It's been slow. I'll take her to the daycare if we get a break in the case."

"Why would we mind?" Provenza smirks, holding his hands out for the large girl, "Isn't that right?"

Sharon nods, handing the girl to her godfather, "Just make sure she is with one of you and not rolling into the elevator. That's all I need. She usually follows though." She places the walker onto the floor and lifts it up to the girl's height via the number of clicks it makes.

"Ay ay, Captain." The man nods.

"Captain, we've been completely at a standstill for the past thirteen hours." Sanchez shakes his head, "We're still looking for a lead with blood found in the restaurant freezer where the second body was found. It didn't match the victim or anyone who worked there."

"Was it animal blood?" Sharon shakes her head.

"No, ma'am. It's obviously someone who doesn't have a record though."

She nods, walking toward her office. Sharon sighs a moment, taking a deep breath. Just another day. She places her purse into a draw of her desk before returning to the other room.

Andy Flynn places a toothpick into his mouth, "What about the 911 call?"

"There have been some fake ones coming in because of the attention the media has been making about this. It's great that the attention is there, but there's been nothing substantial. Nothing from the tip line either." Sykes shakes her head, sitting behind her desk, "The one we have on record offers nothing because it sounds like the voice was muffled, like someone wanted to disguise it."

Sharon folds her arms, looking at the pictures on the whiteboard, "Let's...let's stop looking at this as a murderer and look more into the victims and what they had in common."

"They were all ladies of the night." Mike Tao nods, "Two were featured in a premium cable television show. The ones with the stars next to their names."

She nods, stepping closer to the front of the room to examine, "I feel like it's right under our noses."

"Because it probably is." Andy shrugs, "Did the two on the TV show have any johns that were the same person?" He nods when Provenza slips the girl into her walker.

"The johns featured have their faces pixilated." Tao shakes his head, "I can try to either get Showtime to send over their tapes, or try to de-pixilate them."

"Good morning, everyone." Assistant Chief Taylor steps into the room, donning his usual black uniform, "Any break in the case?"

Provenza wheels the baby under his desk, giving her his keys to keep her quiet and occupied, "No, sir. We're very close to one though, waiting for a few phone calls."

"The press is breathing down my neck with the Hollywood Blade case. Could we speed it up please?"

"Yeah, sure. No problem." Sanchez mutters quietly.

Louie's eyes widen when the baby squeals with laughter from under his desk.

Taylor tilts his head to the side, "What was that, Lieutenant?"

"I didn't think anyone heard that. Thank you for drawing attention to it." He shakes his head.

"I know that wasn't you passing gas."

"It was none of your business, Sir."

"Who are you talking to, Lieutenant?"

Flynn folds his arms, "It's my daughter and if you have a problem with her being here, you take it up with me."

"Why is there a baby here?" Taylor stands in front of the taller man.

"Because we're all exhausted and we need something to get us up and going again. Believe it or not, the laughter of a child isn't the worst thing in the world. Especially when all she does is wheel around and ask for cookies and dried cereal." Andy shakes his head, "So, sir, if that's a problem, take it up with me."

Sharon can't help but smirk, "If it means anything, if there is a break in the case, I'll be taking her to the daycare downstairs."

"See that you do, Captain...Lieutenant." Taylor shakes his head, turning and walking toward the elevators.

"Thank you, Lieutenant." Sharon nods to Provenza, sighing. She takes a filled sippy cup from the baby's bag and places it on her tray table, watching as the girl takes hold of it and leans her head back to drink.

"Would you look at that? Smartest kid in the world." Provenza nods.

Tao smirks, glancing to the baby, "Good job, Katie."

"This is ridiculous." Sharon chuckles, shaking her head as she walks back over, standing next to her husband, "Guys, this is just...it's a non-issue, but I want you all to know in case Taylor attempts to make it a thing at some point."

Sykes perks her head up over her cubicle, glancing to Sanchez, who does the same.

"A few months ago, Lieutenant Flynn and I were married in a private ceremony. It was just the two of us in Las Vegas." She grins, "Nothing has changed. I'm still Captain Raydor, professionally. Legally, I'm Sharon Flynn."

"Congratulations." Buzz grins, "Is there going to be a party?" He teases.

"No, but if you all feel up to celebrating, we can have some fun at the Policeman's Ball in a few months." Andy smirks, "I plan to celebrate there, I don't care about the rest of you."

"Of course we care. It's for a good cause, as usual." Sharon shakes her head at her husband, watching as her daughter maneuvers herself between the cubicles, "Now that we have gotten to the bottom of that, let's focus on this murderer with a stupid name."


	2. Chapter 2

"You were married?" Provenza stands with his partner in the break room, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"It was before Kate's party. I was leaving it up to Sharon when we were going to tell people. I ruined it when she was pregnant, so I let her have this one." Andy nods, sipping coffee from the white foam cup, "I'm surprised she's said anything to anyone, honestly. She's a secretive person."

He raises an eyebrow, "Secretive?"

"Well, not secretive. Private. She's a private person." Flynn smirks, "Look, if I knew you were going to be...upset by this-"

"I'm not upset." Provenza shakes his head, giving the other man a look, "You just...you're different, Flynn. You used to tell me everything and now...you tell me nothing."

He nods slowly, "Have I...hurt your feelings?" He tries not to laugh.

"No..." Louie gives him another look, "We're friends. We're partners. You made me your daughter's godfather-"

"You threatened to quit if I didn't."

"It seems like ever since you got with the captain..." Provenza shakes his head, "Where did my best friend go?"

Andy sighs, "Things happen. We've been dealing with a lot of stuff. Eve in the hospital and-"

"Eve's back in the hospital?"

"Not like...not that kind of hospital." He sinks to a seat, "She checked herself into a mental...ya know...about six months ago. She writes letters, but they all sound fake as hell. Eve doesn't like it when her mother worries or when Sharon's attention is off what's happening at home. I think Sharon knows that, so she's been off her game a little. Worried about her."

Provenza watches the man, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Andy shakes his head, shrugging, "I thought I did, to be honest."

"She was at Kate's party. So she went after that?"

He shakes his head, "Before, but she was able to get a day pass or something like that."

"Shit. She's a great kid."

"I know." Flynn smiles almost sadly, "Sharon doesn't know that Rusty visits her at least once a week. They developed one hell of a bond while she was staying at the house. I always want to go sometime, but I don't want to impede on whatever they have and I really don't want to go before Sharon goes."

"She hasn't been to visit her?"

"Eve tells her not to come. Says it would make it harder on her. The both of them, really."

"I didn't know." Louie leans back in his seat, "Liz has been asking about Kate and Eve. She said there was something not right about her and I told her what happened, ya know, and...Liz knew. Who would have though?"

Andy chuckles, "Who would have thought you'd say that your ex-wife was right about anything?"

"That too." He smirks, "I'm just really shocked about the Captain's daughter."

"She isn't dead, Louie. She's just comfortable where she is, I guess."

"Who the hell is ever comfortable in a mental institution?"

"I don't know. Rusty says she is." Andy leans forward, glancing up when the door opens to the room.

"How is the coffee today? Still terrible?" Amy Sykes smiles to them.

"It's always terrible." Provenza glances to her.

"Even with your diminished taste buds?"

"What?"

"Well, I noticed you putting a lot of salt on your food at lunch. People who are older lose more of their taste buds...or receptors or something." Sykes nods, sitting at the table with them.

Provenza pauses, looking at the young woman, "You know you're a pain in the ass, right?"

"I'm just looking out for your health."

Flynn chuckles, leaning back in his seat, "Anything come up yet?"

"I think Lieutenant Tao said the blood results came back to a delivery boy that was there earlier that day. They're bringing him in for questioning, but it doesn't look like it's anything." She takes a sip of her drink.

"Since you are a bright, young thing, What do you think?" Provenza folds his arms.

"I think the Captain has something on this. If we can connect common threads with the women, I think we'll find our guy. They're all prostitutes, sure, but do they have the same pimp? Do they have the same johns? Do they all come from an agency? We can't find hardly anything about these women and the others on the street are too afraid to talk."

"Maybe we need to have someone go undercover." He smirks.

"Like who?"

Flynn nods slowly, "Like you."

She sits up, laughing a little, "You want me to go undercover as a prostitute?"

"That's the idea." Louie nods, "We would dress you up, make you look rough...give you a few days off if you get anything."

"Do I have to actually sleep with people?"

"That's a really dumb-"

Sharon stands at the doorway, "She's not going undercover as a prostitute."

"You're very stealthy, ma'am. I've always liked that about you." Sykes smiles toward her.

Raydor rolls her eyes, stepping closer, "While her going undercover would be a great idea, it's not only degrading to suggest it to a female police officer, it's inconsiderate. My officers don't do anything they don't want to do when it comes to undercover operations."

"Where's Katie?" Flynn glances to her.

"Following Sanchez around. He keeps walking in circles around the desks. She thinks it's a game." She waves her hand, joining them at the small table.

"That sounds so cute." Amy smirks, rising from the table and jogging to see what she was speaking of.

"Degrading?" Provenza gives Sharon a look when the young woman walks away.

She sighs, "Look, you guys shouldn't have suggested it. I was going to. It's different when it's an order that comes from a female superior officer."

"The girl is a bit of a spaz. I don't know if she'd be able to keep up a character." Flynn shakes his head, "I don't think we should risk it. We could get someone else." He looks his wife up and down, slowly smirking.

"No." Sharon stands, smoothing down her skirt, "I am way too old for that. None of the victims were-"

"One was forty-eight. Not too much younger than you."

"The others were in their twenties." She shakes her head, sighing, "I'll talk to Sykes." Sharon steps toward the door, "And if I find out you two have started picking on her again-"

"We weren't picking on her!" Provenza gives her a look.

"Yeah, she was picking on Provenza first." Flynn shakes his head.

"Look, I don't give a single shit where anything started or with whom. The two of you need to get back to work because you're trouble. Both of you are trouble together, and I have enough on my plate today. Is that understood?" She looks between them before leaving.

"Hell of a wife you picked." Louie motions to the closing door.

"I'll keep her." Andy smirks, standing and walking toward the door to get back to his desk.


	3. Chapter 3

Sharon Flynn parks outside the giant, cathedral like facility where her daughter had committed herself some months ago. She couldn't understand why the girl never left. Was she even more messed up than they all originally thought? She sighs, turning off the engine and pulling down the visor above her head. Sharon adjusts her makeup quickly before stepping out of the vehicle. Her heels click on the floor as she walks toward the door.

The patients roam the halls freely, all dressed in like-colored scrubs, telling which wing they belonged to. Sharon smiles, noticing her daughter sitting on a bench, surrounded by other patients in the outside corridor.

Eve inhales deeply from the cigarillo placed between her teeth. Her scrubs colored a dark purple, her mother's favorite color. She pulls the black cashmere cardigan she wears around herself more. Glancing up slowly when she hears the ticking of high heels in the gait of only one person she knows. She smiles, waving the other people off with a simple hand movement before standing, knowing the person is her mother. She tosses the cigarillo to her feet, snuffing it out with her black ballet flat.

"I have been looking all over for that sweater." Sharon grins to her, taking her daughter into her arms and holding her closely, not really wanting to let go, "I've missed you so much."

"I came to Katie's baptism. They let me out on a day pass. Did you know they had those things?" Eve smirks, keeping an arm around her mother's waist as they walk, "It's nice here. I don't mind it as much as I thought I would. Thank you for coming."

"You've been here over six months, Evey. I thought you were coming for ninety days and...it's been six months."

"Well, you see, I'm pretty popular around here. Purples are popular."

Sharon glances around, "You're all wearing different colors. What does purple mean?"

"Self admitted, Sexual bracket." Eve shrugs, "That's where they placed me after my interview. The other ones know that we can leave at any time. It's intimidating to them. Sex is king. One is desired, even if it's through rape, incest, or addiction. The others are usually shunned at one time in their lives, landing them here."

"There must be other self admitted."

"Yellows." She nods, "But they're general depression bracket."

"You have this all figured out." Sharon can't help but smirk, chuckling a little, "What about the other colors?"

"Reds are court appointed, people who plead insanity to get out of jail and stuff like that. Greens are people with food issues, also self admitted. Whites are nurses and orderlies. Blacks are janitors, which I think is kind of racist."

"Sounds like it." She nods, "What about blue?"

"They're people who were admitted more than thirty years ago. People who have been here too long to ever have the chance or desire to leave. This is the rest of their lives and they aren't ever going back to what they once thought of as normal." Eve sighs, "It's sad. I've spoken to some of them."

Sharon kisses her daughter's temple, "Well, I'm glad you're getting better."

"Me too." She nods, "Rusty has been bringing me my mail. Did you know that?"

"I did not. He's been visiting?"

Eve smirks, "He brings me mail and cigarillos. I don't know where he gets them, but...he gives them to me."

Sharon raises an eyebrow, "He has a girlfriend."

"I know, he wants to leave her." She reaches a shaky hand down to button the cardigan, "But she's threatened to commit suicide and all this other shit and he won't be responsible for that if it happens."

"He wasn't kidding?"

"Um...no..." Eve sighs, "Can you...can you help me? It would go a lot faster if steady hands were involved."

Sharon notices her and nods, "Absolutely." She makes quick work of buttoning her favorite cardigan, "Why are you shaking?"

"It's the meds they dispense. Some of them have side effects. One side effect is trembling in the extremities." She nods, "Nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Eve nods, motioning to an empty bench under a tree and walks over to it with her mother, "I wanted to ask you something though...or tell you, maybe."

"Yeah?"

"See that girl over there? The yellow with the gray sweatshirt on." The young woman keeps her voice hushed.

"What about-" Sharon watches the young woman for a moment, "That's Andy's daughter."

"I didn't know if she was related. Flynn isn't a popular name, even for the Irish. I know Andy doesn't see much of his kids because of his ex-wife, but I thought that he should know she was here."

"Have you talked to her?"

"Yeah, at Katie's party and here a little. She's a nice girl. Lost mostly. I've taken her under my wing of sorts. They see a purple helping out a young yellow, they aren't going to bother them." Eve nods, "She was having some trouble with a couple blues that didn't even know they were bothering her in the first place. She's alright though."

"Self admitted." Sharon whispers to herself, "And yellow is...what again?"

"General depression. Usually to the point where they ponder suicide, that's why they end up coming here."

"I see." She sighs, "I'll tell him."

"He isn't going to be happy." She tucks her hair behind her ear.

"You didn't answer me before, why are you still here?"

Eve swallows, "I lost my job. They...they don't think I'd be the best choice to supervise a Kindergarten class."

"Because of you being here?" Sharon shakes her head, "That's against the law. That's a form of discrimination."

"I'm not fighting. Not right now. I'll get a new job. It's not a problem. Maybe with older kids this time."

"You don't think that would be harder?"

Eve shakes her head, "Not at a public school. They wouldn't be crowding around me, wanting to give me hugs all the time. I've become somewhat claustrophobic through all of...this. The parents of public school kids don't usually take much of an interest when it comes to their child's teachers."

"I see." Sharon reaches a hand up to stroke her daughter's curly hair, "Chad is doing great at AA, Katie is walking-"

"You keep her in baby jail?"

She smirks, "You've spoken to Rusty."

"Rusty tells me everything. What Rusty is afraid to tell you about, he tells his big sister." Eve smirks, "Even tells me that you and Andy have started making it a thing to make out on the couch all the time."

"I wouldn't say all the time."

"What would you say then?"

"Occasionally, I guess." Sharon shakes her head, "What does it matter? I didn't know. We're married. Married couples are allowed to show affection."

Eve pauses, looking to her mother, "You were married?"

"Eve, I...I told you we went to Las Vegas to-"

"No, you told me that you and Andy were going to Las Vegas for a night to relax and have a date night. That's what you told me. You told me that Hobbs stayed at the house to keep an eye on Rusty and Kate and...You were married and didn't even tell me?"

"It isn't as if I had some ulterior motive to keep information from you." Sharon shakes her head, "That isn't what I did."

"So, does everyone else know?"

"No. There's a lot of people who don't."

"Name one."

"Assistant Chief Taylor." Sharon adjusts her arm around her daughter, "I love you, honey. I wouldn't just not tell you something like this. Forgive me."

Eve stands up, shaking her head a little, "Are you happy?"

"You know I am. Andy is a good guy." She stands with her, "He's been very good to you too."

"Yeah, it's just...It really means that Daddy is really...Daddy is really gone." Her head slowly rises, her large dirt brown orbs looking into her mother's emerald green ones.

Sharon steps in front of her, rubbing the young woman's arm gently, "Yes, baby. I moved on a long time ago and..." She pauses, tears coming to her eyes, "Your father has been gone for a long time. Even before he died."

"Yeah, see? I don't care. Everything is different now. Even down to who you're with and-"

"I've been with Andy for over a year. You love Andy."

"And you have Katie and Rusty and what do I have to show for anything?" Eve motions to her clothes, then the large building, "This. This is what I have." Tears come to the young woman's eyes as her trembling becomes worse.

"You have us. You have your family, Evey."

She quickly shakes her head, "I'm...Thank you for coming, but...I'm going to go back to my room now."

"Eve, please don't-"

"I'm not ready for...for people. I'm not ready to leave yet. When I am, you might be the first person I call. You might not." Eve swallows, walking past her mother, toward the large building.

Sharon takes a moment, shaking her head slowly. She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear before quickly wiping the tears that had started to form in the corners of her eyes. Taking one last look at her husband's daughter, she walks back toward her car. Deeply breathing in as she walks, Sharon slowly realizes that the daughter she once loved has become a hollow shell of a young woman. A shell that needed to be filled with people that believe in her and love her. A shell that needed to return home to achieve any sort of accomplishment. A mother who needed her shell of a daughter to hold and promise that everything would be okay. She needed her daughter just as much as her daughter needs her.


	4. Chapter 4

Sanchez grins to the infant girl as she laughs loudly, turning the corner once more. He lifts her up out of her walker, holding her on his arm, "Yeah, you're making me tired, kid." He returns to his seat, "I don't believe we've been so close, Kate. You seem like a nice enough girl. Not one of those girls my mother always warned me about and that I always seem to go for."

Sykes smirks, hearing him talk to the baby as she sinks in her seat behind her desk.

"Yeah, see? Stick with your Uncle Julio." He unwraps a lollipop, keeping an eye on her as he places it in her hand, "I'll give you the good stuff."

"You really like kids, don't you..." She glances to the baby as the girl squeals before looking back to the man.

"Well, I don't dislike them. Some are better than others." Sanchez nods, "My wife and I always wanted a bunch of kids. Shit happens, I guess." He shrugs.

"Oh." Sykes adjusts herself in her chair, "I didn't know you were married."

"I was," He pauses, glancing over to her, "She died."

"I'm...I didn't-"

"You didn't know." He shakes his head, smiling down to the baby who was now offering her lollipop to him, "It's all yours. Let's not tell your mom about this though. She will yell at me."

"Lollipops aren't usually in the diets of nine month olds."

"It's not hurting anyone." Sanchez smirks, "How can you say no to that?" He motions to the girl.

"She's big. There's a reason she's big. That reason is that she has all of you guys wrapped around her finger and you'll give her anything she wants."

"You calling her fat?"

"All I'm saying is that I'm surprised she can walk." Sykes laughs a little, Kate Flynn's large green eyes look to her, as if she understood exactly what she was saying, "I didn't mean that in a bad way. I'm concerned for you."

"You're trying to reason with a baby." Sanchez shakes his head, smiling a little.

"Well...she's smart. She probably speaks and just...just stays quiet here so we feel uncomfortable, then goes home and tells the Captain everything."

"That's probably exactly what she does." He replies, sarcastically, "Bet she has her own business suit and ready to take over your job."

She makes a face at him, turning her chair to look at the whiteboard, "What are we missing?"

"Tao is close to getting that show to turn over their tapes." Sanchez nods, "We're close."

"I'm...I haven't slept in days. This whole thing just...It makes me stay awake. It makes me want to find justice for these young women. I mean...this one..." Sykes stands, walking over to the board, "This one is my age." She points to a picture, "These girls are so young, full of dreams and wishes, and they ended up in a life like this."

"You don't know them. They're no one you know. When you grow up in a place like that, there no hope. There's doing what you have to do to get by. Doing what you need to do to survive." He shakes his head, looking down to the girl on his lap, whose lollipop was now missing from her hand, "What did you do with the candy?" He glances around.

Rusty walks through the corridor, Sharon had called and told him she had to talk to him. He steps on something hard, hearing a crack. Picking up his foot, he sees a small green lollipop on the sole of his shoe. His head lifts, seeing Kate. He smirks, "I'm guessing this wasn't from you, Detective..."

"No, but she's sticky, you want her?" Sanchez holds the girl out with his hands.

He smirks, taking the baby, "Yeah, sure." He walks toward the Captain's office. Seeing her black diaper bag, he pulls out the small container of wipes, gently taking care of the girl's face and hands.

Sharon hangs up the phone, glancing to the young man, "Didn't see you come in."

"Well, here I am." Rusty nods to her, noticing Kate rub her eyes, he takes the pacifier and her favorite blanket from the bag as well, letting her cuddle up to it as she rests her head on him, "You wanted to talk to me about something?"

"I know about you visiting Eve on a regular basis."

He pauses, gently rubbing Kate's back as he sits in a chair on the opposite side of Sharon's desk, "Am I not allowed to?"

"No, no...That's not what-" Sharon puts her hand up, shaking her head, "You've been going a lot and you obviously both confide in one another. Why didn't you tell me about Mac Flynn?"

"I..." He shrugs, "I didn't think it was my business. When people check themselves into places like that, it usually means they don't want the world to know."

"The world wouldn't know, Mac's father should though."

"Then you tell him." Rusty shakes his head, "I'm not getting involved with it."

Sharon pushes her hair behind her ear, "So, you're going to leave it up to me to tell him?"

"Well, I'm not telling him." He looks down to the now sleeping baby, "He'd do anything for Eve. You should have her call him."

"That's not a possibility."

"Why? What did you do?"

"I forgot to tell her about the wedding and she got pretty pissed off." She sighs, "Started talking about her father and then shut herself down."

"That's not a good thing coming from a mental hospital patient."

"It isn't like I meant to do it." Sharon shakes her head, "I just want her to understand that, though inconceivable right now, there's life waiting for her in the real world. She's a beautiful girl, if it's a relationship she wants, I'm sure she'd have no trouble finding that for herself."

Rusty shakes his head slowly, "You're forgetting something though. When you were her age, you were already married with a kid. You were started in the force and you have your entire life lined up and ready to go. She's lost everything. Have you not noticed that at all?"

"I know." She nods slowly, "I try to forget about it."

"Why?"

Sharon waits a moment, leaning back in her desk chair and folding her arms, "Because I can't fix it for her. I can't...I try to make her understand, but she's too broken for that, Rusty. She's too far gone."

"Maybe you can't fix it." Rusty shakes his head, "Maybe the only thing you can do is to be there for her. Just visit her more often and let her tell you whatever she wants without you saying she needs to come home every fifteen times, which I can bet you did." He stands, lying Kate on the comfortable green chair in the office and watching as she snuggles up to her blanket once more. "Look." Rusty sighs, glancing back to Sharon, "Send Andy to Eve. She's different around him. Easier to deal with. She knows she can essentially get him to do what she wants, so if she thinks it's him visiting her, she'll probably tell him about Mac. That way, it saves your ass."

She sighs, shaking her head, "I'm just going to tell him. He knows I was there. If I don't tell him, it will only be worse." Hearing a knock on the door, she lifts her head, "Come in."

"Hey, they told me you were in here." Andy smiles, "Hey Rusty."

"Hey." Rusty stands straight, "Your daughter is in the nut hut with Eve."

"Rusty!" Sharon glares at him.

Andy makes a face before looking to his wife, "What's he saying?"

"As you know, I went to visit Eve today at the hospital."

"How is she?"

"She's fine. Could be better, but she's fine. That's not the-"

"That's good. I wish she'd come home."

"Yes, me too-"

"I'm sure if I just asked-"

Sharon stands, "Andy!" She sighs, adjusting her jacket, "When I went to see Eve, I noticed that Mac was there."

He pauses, looking to her again, "What?"

"Mac checked herself into the hospital for general depression. Eve said the only time they really allow that is if she was contemplating suicide."

"My...I don't get it." He folds his arms, "Did you talk to her?"

"No, she didn't know I was there. Eve has been watching out for her."

"She's...she's seventeen."

Rusty turns to him, "The cut off for parent authorization is sixteen."

Andy nods slowly, "I...I should go see her." He turns a little.

Sharon walks around the desk, placing a hand on his arm, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No...I don't know if she'd like that too much." He shakes his head, "Not that she doesn't like you. She really likes you, actually, I just think if she sees me without you, she'll know I care more."

"Andy, you don't have to explain it to me." She places her hands on either side of his face, "Calm down first before you go."

Andy leans forward, kissing her softly.

"Okay, so...yeah. So I'm going to go home now." Rusty nods, walking past them.

"Wait a minute." Sharon smiles to Andy, glancing to Rusty, "You need a reason to get out of that relationship with that girl, right?"

"Um..." He sighs, shrugging.

"Tell her I don't want you seeing her anymore. It's out of your hands. If she hates me forever, I really don't care. How does that sound?"

Rusty smirks, nodding slowly, "Thanks, I'll try it, but...I'll try it." He kisses her cheek before leaving the office.

"And you," She looks back to her husband, "I mean it. Calm down for a little bit before you go." Sharon points to the sofa, "What about asking Provenza to go with you?"

"I can do this alone, Shar." Andy shakes his head.

"Yeah, I don't think you can. At least let him be in the car with you." She leans back in her chair, folding her arms, "If Mac is remotely like Eve was when I saw her...you will need Provenza."

"What if there's a break in the-"

"Don't worry about it. If I need you, I'll call you."

Andy takes a deep breath before standing again. He walks over to her, kissing her deeply, "I love you."

"I love you too."

He nods, making his way to the door.

Sharon sits there, motionless for a few moments. Something is happening within her family and she doesn't like it one bit.


	5. Chapter 5

Eve grins to the teenager as they sit together in the courtyard of the institution. It was beautiful even though the sky could barely be seen. "Don't let them get to you."

"I'm used to being picked on, it's okay." The black haired, brown eyed young woman nods, playing with the zipper of her gray sweatshirt. The sides of her head shaved near the temples, proving to be a very distinctive haircut.

"It isn't though. You're better than that, Mac. Everyone here is better than that."

Mac leans back, smirking, "If everyone were better than that, no one would be here."

"I suppose you're right." Eve smiles to her, "Has your mother been to visit you?"

"She's always kind of...This isn't...She's too good for this. Her husband has been trying to send me to boarding school for years, so this is right up his alley. I think she's jealous of Dad. Keeps saying she wants more kids."

"What about your brother?"

"He's in the military. He doesn't know I'm here." Mac looks up toward the sky, "I don't want him to know."

"There's nothing wrong with coming to a place like this."

"Easy for you to say. You're a purple. I don't know what the colors mean, but I know the purples are kings and queens around here."

"Don't worry about what the colors mean." Eve sighs, "We all have problems here. No one more or less than another."

"Yeah."

"You know, we're sisters now. You aren't the only Flynn girl anymore. We share a sister and since your dad and my mother are married, that makes us step sisters."

Mac smiles a little, "I've never had a sister."

"We have Kate."

"I mean an older sister and I don't get to see Kate too often. Mom doesn't like it when I go over Dad's much."

Eve smiles, "Well, we could pass as sisters. I have an apartment. When I check out of here, you're more than welcome to come over."

"Is your apartment nice?"

She shrugs, "I'd like to think so."

"Dad's house is nice. Not too big, but the furniture is just...it's perfect. I really like their house." Mac smirks, nodding, "Better than his apartment."

"What did his apartment look like?"

"A man cave. Black leather furniture, huge ass TV." She shrugs, "He let my brother and I fix our bedroom however we wanted though."

"He's a good dad. I'm sure he had his shortcomings, but he'd do anything for any of us. We're a family." Eve nods, "And I mean that. I take my role of sister very seriously."

Mac smirks, laughing to herself a little. She looks to her newfound step-sister, "You're very pretty, Eve."

"Thank you. You're pretty gorgeous yourself." Eve grins to her.

"Mac?" A man's voice can be heard from the entrance to the courtyard.

Mac slowly stands, looking to the man, "Dad?"

Andy rushes over to her, wrapping his arms around his daughter, "I had no idea you were here."

"It isn't really something I've been telling people." She shakes her head slowly.

"What happened?"

"It's not just one...I'm in therapy here and I'm trying to find the right cocktail of medication to get better. I don't think I'll be here much longer." Mac folds her arms, shaking her head, "Eve and I have been hanging out." She nods toward the other woman.

Andy chuckles a little, pulling the other young woman over with his other arm and hugging them both closely, "The two of you are going to drive me..." He shakes his head slowly, "Not a good saying here."

"Not so much, no." Mac smirks.

"You two go on ahead. I'm going to sit and talk with Provenza and make the others here think he has some young girlfriend." Eve nods, watching them walk away. She turns, hugging the short man, "I'm glad you came with him."

"Your mother made me. Places like this give me the willies." Provenza shakes his head.

"The willies?" She smirks.

"Well, people just roam around, most of you too doped up to even know what's happening around you."

"Do I seem like that's the case?"

"No, but I know why you've been here so long now." He tilts his head toward his partner, "You're protecting her, aren't you..."

A smirk slowly spreads across her face, "Yellows get eaten up around here. Especially young ones."

"What's yellow mean?"

Eve shakes her head, "You don't need to know." She links her arm through his, "You're looking quite svelte, Lieutenant."

"I've been watching what I eat." Provenza smirks, "You look better without the bruises."

"I'd hope so." She nods, "How is Liz?"

"She's great. She's what I needed." He glances to the young woman, "So you'll leave when she's ready to go?"

"Yeah, but don't say anything about it to my mother or Andy." She shakes her head, "I have to keep up appearances a little when it comes to them. I have my days here and there, anyone does, but overall I'm a lot better."

"I'm really happy to hear that, Ms. Raydor."

Eve giggles a little, "Since when have you called me that?"

"It's fitting. You're a beautiful young woman. Suitors at your every beck and call and you're here, protecting a young teenage girl."

"She's my sister."

"Not really." Provenza shakes his head, slowly.

"Step-sister. We're still family. I'm not going to let anyone get to her around here." She sighs, "Says her mother gives her a hard time at home."

"All teenagers say that."

"No, I'm saying it's bad. I'm saying it's why she's here." Eve glances to him, "Would it be wrong of me to offer for her to live with me?"

"What is it with you and your mother taking in wayward teens?"

"She's not wayward. She's a great kid. She just needs some attention." She sighs, "I'm sure Flynn wouldn't...I'm sure Andy wouldn't mind. He'd hear everything from his ex-wife, but he'd get over it."

"You girls have him wrapped around your finger." Provenza chuckles, "You have my support, but a mother is a mother and if she finds out that you were here with her, she's going to be pretty pissed. If I remember the woman correctly, she's a bitch to begin with."

"There's something about Mac though. It's right there. I can feel it and I can't figure it out. Know how pissed off that makes me?" Eve shakes her head slowly.

"Try having a serial killer in front of you with numerous victims, motive, clues, and nothing is coming up. No one is fitting anything."

"You win." She smirks.

"Damn right." Provenza nods, looking up to see his friend walking toward them, "Well?"

"I'm coming back tomorrow. Something about art class?" Andy glances between his daughter and step-daughter.

"Oh, yeah." Eve nods, knowing it wasn't true, "It was nice talking to you, Lieutenant Provenza."

"Likewise, kid."

Eve takes Mac's hand, leading her away.

Louie glances to his partner, "Feel better now?"

Andy nods, "Eve say she's been watching her?"

"Yeah."

"Good. She's like her mother with that." He smirks, "She's sneaky...also like her mother, in a good way, though."

Louie rolls his eyes as they walk back toward the car.


	6. Chapter 6

Rusty sits back in his car, the young woman who he had considered his girlfriend at one point, but was now no more than an annoyance, leans over to him, kissing his lips deeply. He sighs, putting an arm up.

"What's wrong?" Sam leans back, her eyes looking to him.

"I can't see you anymore." He shakes his head, "Not because I don't want to, but something came up with Sharon and the court thing from a while ago and I'm not allowed to have any girlfriends right now."

"When...You can come back to me. You don't have to always..." She shakes her head, "I love you, Rusty."

"I know, and that's why this is so hard." Rusty looks to her, "You're a really great kisser and..."

"You don't like me anymore." Sam says quietly.

"We can be friends. I'd love to be friends, but I can't date you anymore."

"I thought we'd get married and-"

"We've only been going out like...six months."

"That's a long time."

"I know it is." He sighs.

"There's nothing left for me to do."

"That's not true. You're beautiful and sweet and loving. There are tons of other guys I'm sure would be clamoring for you." He smiles to her.

"I don't want other guys, I want you."

"Let's have one last date, okay? We can end this on a high note?"

"A high note?"

"Yeah." He nods, "I'll take you to dinner and...a walk on the beach? How does that sound?"

Sam offers a sad smile, leaning in and kissing him again, "Can't we just get something to eat and then kiss in here?"

"Is that what you want?" Rusty makes a face.

"I like kissing you."

"I know. That's all you ever do." He sighs, looking to the clock in his car, "I have to be home in like...In a little while. I don't want to do anything we can't finish."

"So don't go home. Just stay with me." Sam reaches her hand up to stroke his jaw.

"Okay, no. You are way too annoying for this." Rusty shakes his head, driving her home, "I'm sorry. This is just how it is." He screeches to a halt outside her house.

Sam leans over, giving him one last kiss before stepping from the car and watching it speed off. She trudges inside. She had warned him. She had told him that she'd hurt herself.

Rusty shakes his head, taking a pack of cigarettes that he hid in his glove compartment and placing one against his lips, lighting it with the car lighter. He picks up his phone, dialing Sharon and connecting it to the Bluetooth device in the car.

"Hey." Sharon sits at home, Andy in the kitchen making breakfast for dinner, "How did it go?"

"I told her she was annoying." He pays close attention to the road, signaling a turn.

"Well, that didn't go as planned." She smirks.

"No, it did not." He shakes his head, blowing smoke from the corner of his mouth, "How did it go with Andy?"

"He's not talking about it."

"That's probably not good."

"No, but I'm not forcing it out of him." Sharon sits back in her chair, "Are you on your way home now?"

"Yeah."

"I'll talk to you when you get in."

Rusty smiles, "Okay." He presses a button on the device.

Sharon rises from his seat, walking over to her husband, "Smells great."

"I think so." Andy smirks, "Too bad we got home late, Katie loves eggs."

"She certainly does." She smiles, "Is there anything I can do?"

"No, I've got it." He shakes his head, "Eve looked good. Healthier. She was smiling with Louie while I talked to Mac. Haven't seen her smile like that in a long time."

Sharon watches him, "Was she?"

Andy grins, "Yeah. She looked great."

"I don't think I'm going to force her to the Policeman's Ball this year."

"She might need it. She may need the interaction of people who aren't at a mental hospital or family or a doctor. She might just need some loud music and a dance or two."

"She lost her job though." Sharon sighs, "I'll buy her a ticket."

"Offer it to her first before you go get her one." Andy nods slowly, "She might not feel up to going, but force her if she doesn't want to."

"Force her after getting out of a psych ward. That's a great idea." She replies, sarcastically.

"She'll be fine."

Sharon takes a deep breath, "You better be right about this."

"Or what?"

"You don't want to know." She nearly growls, leaning over the bar countertop to kiss him softly. She grins, turning and picking up the letters from the crescendo, slowly shuffling through them, "All of these are from schools in state." She smiles to herself, shaking her head, "I told him at least two out of state and all four of these are right here."

"Last I checked, you didn't want him to go away at all." Andy smirks, giving her a look.

"That's not...No." She turns, facing him, "I want him to know what it's like being away. I want him to make friends he never would make, have experiences he never would have if he stays here, Kate will know him. She will grow and know him. If he thinks going to college in another state will stop that-"

"He isn't staying here just for Kate."

She straightens her body ever so slightly, "For me?" When her husband nods, she signs, looking away from him, "I love Rusty as if he were one of my biological children."

"I'm not saying you don't." He pushes a plate of egg whites toward her, "Always have to be difficult."

"I'm being difficult?"

"That's what I said." Andy smirks, "You're giving him mixed signals. You want him around, but you want him to go away to college. Make up your mind, Shar."

"Make up my mind? You haven't even talked about Mac since you returned home. Make up my mind? Are you embarrassed about her being there? What's going on?"

"She's fine." He shakes his head, his smile fading as he sits next to her with his own omelet plated up, "She's fine, that's why I haven't talked about it."

"She isn't fine. If she was fine, she wouldn't be there."

"Worry about your own kids." He snaps, immediately regretting it as the words leave his lips.

Sharon forcefully drops her fork, glaring toward him, "Yeah?"

"Sharon, that isn't-"

"What happened to all that 'we are family' bullshit?"

"I didn't mean-"

"You said it. You wouldn't have said it if you weren't thinking about it." She rises from the table, taking her plate to the sink, she nearly throws it inside, "Sleep on the sofa." Sharon doesn't look at him as she walks toward her bedroom.

Flynn sighs, flinching when she slams the door.

Rusty slinks through the front door, looking to the man, sitting alone at the dinner table, "Everyone go to bed?"

"Something like that." He lifts his stout glass of ice water, bringing it to his lips.

The boy surveys the scene more, noticing the moved letters, "She still awake?"

"Probably."

He walks over, picking up the envelopes, "Did you two have a fight?" He smirks when he receives a look from the man, "I'll take that as a yes. Do you want help cleaning up before I go in there?"

"No, go ahead." Andy waves his hand, "But thanks, kid."

Rusty nods, carrying the letters with him, he walks to his surrogate mother's bedroom, knocking on the door gently before stepping inside.


	7. Chapter 7

Sharon slowly glances up, knowing it would be her near adopted son. Her eyes glazed over with anger. "Didn't hear you come in."

"Why would you? If I know you at all, you were busy slamming doors." Rusty motions to the door to the bedroom, slowly

She shakes her head, watching as he sits on the bed next to her, "How was your date?"

He shrugs, "I told her she was annoying and dropped her off in front of her house. She wanted me to sneak around behind your back. She wasn't worth it."

Sharon smirks, "Thank you." She wraps an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close to her.

"What was the fight about?"

"What fight?"

"The one between you and Andy." Rusty looks her in the eye, slowly reaching up to take the glasses from Sharon's face, "What happened?"

Sharon swallows, no longer able to hide behind the frames of her glasses, looks to the young man, "Don't worry about it."

"I do, though, I worry about Kate and how her parents are doing and if they can work together. I worry about going to one of these schools," He waves the envelopes in the air, "and I can't be too sure that you two won't rip each other's face off."

"It was one disagreement, Rusty."

"Oh, okay, because that will never happen again." He replies sarcastically, "Talk to me."

"I want to help him. I want to talk to him about Mac and how we can help her and he told-" She stops herself, shaking her head slowly, "I want to help Mac. I want to help her."

"That's understandable." Rusty shakes his head, "I don't understand the cause of-"

"He told me to worry about my own kids."

"Ah."

"Yeah, so...Yes." Sharon swallows, looking away before tears form in her eyes.

"Why are you pretending Flynn's inability to talk to you is anything new? You can speak to him, but when it's the other way around..."

"Rusty-" She warns, swallowing, "This isn't something I'm talking about with you."

"All of a sudden?"

"Please, open the envelopes?"

Rusty shakes his head, "Why? So you can make sure I go away?"

"Really? You want to pull that card right now?" She tucks her hair behind her ear, "Please, don't do that."

He sighs, slowly opening each envelope one by one and tossing the letters to her, "There, go ahead and read them, decide where I'm going with my life."

"That isn't what I want to do here." Sharon shakes her head, "I want to help you decide which is best."

"Are you making me live on campus?"

"I'm not making you do anything, Rusty. I'm making you decide these things for yourself. I want you to want to go to these places, not feel as if it's something I'm forcing you to do." She tosses the letters aside and brings her knees to her chest while sitting on the bed.

Rusty watches her closely, "Look, I...I'm sorry, Sharon."

Sharon swallows, nodding quickly, "I know."

"Truth is, I don't want to leave here because," He pauses, looking out in front of him, "I'd just miss you too much." He shrugs, sighing, "So, the longer I can prolong this, the longer I can stay with you."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"You're my mom, Sharon. For all the reasons that matter, you're my mother, you always were. I mean, you stayed with me when I was sick, you drove me to school, actually gave a shit where I went to school...You gave me my very first hug..." Rusty shakes his head slowly, "Sharon Beck never gave a shit about any of that. You gave me sisters that I actually care about and a family that I...that I feel a part of. I don't want to leave that, even for school."

Sharon can't help but smirk a little, glancing over to the young man. She slowly releases her knees, letting them fold beneath her. She leans over, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tightly, "You aren't leaving that. You can come and go as you please. It will always be here waiting for you."

"If I live on campus, it's absolutely leaving that. I don't exactly fit in anywhere." He shakes his head.

"Two of those schools offered chess scholarships in their letters. Two of them. All of those schools are located in this state, within driving distance of this house and you have a car."

"I don't have to give it back before I go?"

"Of course not, it's your car." She strokes his hair gently with her nails.

Rusty swallows, nodding slowly, wrapping his arms around her in response, "Do I have to-"

"Rusty, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do, except for picking a college, which I will completely fund for you."

"I can't ask you to do that."

"I'm your mother. It's what mothers do for their sons...for their children." Sharon smiles, shaking her head, "I insist."

"I'll pick a school offering a scholarship."

"No, that's not how it works." She leans her head back, tilting his face up by placing a gentle knuckle under his chin, "It's wherever you want to go. Investigate these schools, it's crunch time now, Rusty."

"I still have a little while."

"Yes, of course you do, but I want you to thoroughly look into each of these schools. We can visit the campuses. I know you want to stay in the state, and that's fine, but we need to visit them. I can take a few days off here and there and we can go."

He nods, "We can take Kate with us?"

"It may be better for her to stay here so she isn't distracting, but when you make your final decision, we can take her...so she can see where her big brother is going to attend school."

Rusty smiles, hugging her again and closing his eyes, "Are you making Andy sleep on the couch?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I'm too angry to sleep in the same bed with him tonight." The words fall from her lips nonchalantly, "He can brave the couch for a night."

"Can I say something without you thinking I'm taking his side?"

"Yes, of course."

"He only found out about his kid being sick today. I remember how you were with Eve, but you saw her every day. You saw each time she freaked out. He didn't see that with Mac. Maybe he feels the same about Mac as you did about Eve. He's just not good at saying so. No one wants their kid to be sick."

Sharon nods slowly, "You're probably right, but his response wasn't one that I wanted. It wasn't desired nor required-"

Rusty chuckles, "Was that one of Gavin's quotes?"

"How did you know?" She giggles a little.

"It just sounds like it." He smirks, "While I would love to stay here all the night long, I believe I should get back to my bed. Kate gets pretty pissed if she gets up in the middle of the night and can't see me in bed. Know that teddy bear in the corner of the crib? If she wakes up in the morning before me, she throws it at me. She has a great arm on her. Baseball player in the making."

"I'm sure her father will love to hear that."

"First girl signed to the Dodgers."

Sharon hums with soft laughter, "Red Sox, Yankees, any of the teams."

"Yes, absolutely." Rusty nods, "You're more than welcome to come to my bed, but something tells me the two of you are going to make up tonight and I don't want to be here when that happens."

"No, I'm giving him the silent treatment. I'm allowed to do that. I'm married to him, after all."

"Yeah, you are married to him." He smirks, "And what is that thing they say-"

"People that love one another should never go to bed angry?" Sharon nods slowly, "My mother used to say that all the time." She smiles, "I'll give him a little-"

A knock is heard from the door before it opens, Andy peeks inside, "Hey." His voice gruff as he walks in more, "My mother always said that husbands and wives never go to bed angry."

"Oh, wow. See? You two have something in common. I think that's my signal to go." Rusty nods, getting up off the bed and sliding past Andy to leave the room.

Sharon smirks, rolling her eyes as she picks up the letters and envelopes, and placing them on her night table, "Are you apologizing because your mother said that or because you actually want to?"

"I want," He pauses, shaking his head as he closes the door behind himself, "I want our girls...all of our girls to be safe and healthy. When one isn't, it's hard. When there are two, it's..." He steps closer to the bed, sitting in front of her, "And I can't help them. If it were a cold, I could get them medicine-"

"I know the feeling." She nods slowly.

"I'm sorry I'm an asshole." Andy takes her hand and gently kisses her wedding ring, "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, okay. Let's...maybe if we try hard enough, we can help them together."

He nods and leans in, kissing her deeply.

Sharon gently places her hands on either side of his face, deepening the kiss and staying close to him.

"I am, Shar. I'm sorry."

"Stop talking." She shakes her head, pushing the opened button down shirt from his shoulders. Sharon softly kisses his neck.

Andy places his hand at her hip, "I want to make it up to you."

"By this?"

He nods slowly, pushing her long sleeved shirt up and kissing the soft skin of her belly, then trailing the kisses to the crests of her bosom, "Take your pants off." Flynn nearly growls, pushing down the silk of her bra and taking one of the nubs into his mouth.

Sharon leans her head back, closing her eyes. She opens her mouth ever so slightly with a pant, moving her hand to the back of his head. Her other hand does the best it possibly can at wiggling out of her panties and comfortable Armani sweat pants in one move.

Andy quickly aids her, his kisses once again trailing down before they reach her nether regions. He smirks when she bends her knees up, giving him full access to her. His tongue traces her folds before concentrating on her pearl.

"God...Andy..." She murmurs, her legs shaking due to the feeling of his tongue against her.

He chuckles a little as her hips lift off the bed and her knees snap closed around his head, however, due to his angling, he doesn't quit.

"Is...Is the door locked?" Sharon manages to squeak out, ever so close to her climax. Causing her to jump when he hums his approval, she moans loudly.

Andy lets his hand run along her nude thigh and brings his other to her feminine parts, slipping a finger within her. He feels her legs relax from around his head and smirks.

"Need you." She moans as her hips buck from his touch.

He chuckles, picking his head up from her. "Like that?" He smirks at the passion within her eyes, Andy removes the rest of his clothing, watching as she does the same. His fully erect manhood slaps against his belly when he removes it from his boxers. He leans down to kiss her lips once more, "Are you sure?"

Sharon grins, "It's been a while."

"We should stop the breaks between-" He's cut short when he's pulled down on top of her, her lips wrestling with his as she tastes his tongue, "Little anxious."

"No, you owe me."

"Oh." Andy smirks, "That's good too." He forcefully pushes himself into her, causing her to jump. "Relax." He whispers in her ear, kissing her neck softly. He glides his hand over her nude leg once more and she wraps her thighs around his waist, his hips guide his manhood in and out of her. His lips press against her lips as to muffle the moans emanating from her mouth.

Sharon's body contorts ever so slightly as she climaxes, feeling her husband do the same with her. She lies there, spent, attempting to catch her breath. She giggles softly when he collapses on top of her.

Andy slowly rolls over, catching his own breath, a bead of sweat forms at his brow. Snaking his hand down, he takes her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. He lifts her hand to his mouth, kissing her knuckle. "Let's try not to fight anymore."

She nods a little, "Only if you promise never to do that to me again."

"Do what?"

"We are a family, Andy. There is no yours or mine, there is only ours. Our family. Don't ever pull that again."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Andy shakes his head, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her naked body to his own, "I love you, Shar."

"Love you too, Flynn." Sharon wraps her arms around him, putting her head against his chest and listening to his heartbeat as she slowly drifts to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Eve sits in the communal courtyard, reading a book. She lays on her back, perched atop a rock that was there for decoration. She smirks, noticing her step-sister lie next to her, "Hey."

Mac smiles, "What are you reading?"

"George Washington's journal." She shakes her head, "I'm a nut for American history."

"Seems like it." She nods, "Hey, so I was thinking about something, want to hear it?"

Tucking the handmade bookmark between the pages, she closes the book, glancing over to the teenage girl, "Shoot."

"I think I'm ready to leave." Mac nods, "I feel like a whole new person and I think I'm ready to go."

"That's great, I've been feeling the same way." Eve grins.

"I can't go back home though. I can't do it." She swallows, shaking her head, "My mother is a born again Christian and her new husband is...he scares the shit out of me, to be honest."

"So live with me."

"What?" Mac shakes her head, "I couldn't ask-"

"You didn't ask, I offered. You can go to school with Rusty."

"Catholic school?" She raises an eyebrow.

"I went there and I turned out fine." Eve sits up slowly, looking down to the girl, "You do have to tell me one thing first."

"Okay." Mac answers quietly.

"In order for us to live together and know how to treat one another's problems, we need to know what made us sign ourselves into this place."

"You're a purple. I've learned purples have to do with sex. Are you a sex addict?"

Eve can't help but giggle a little, looking toward the sky in an attempt to hide her laughing, "A sex addict?"

"Well?" She shrugs, sitting up with the woman.

"No...good God, no." She shakes her head, "Several months ago I was raped. A lot of other big things happened around the same time and I couldn't deal with it. My brain just couldn't handle it. I kept having nightmares and I was seeing things. So, in order to see to my own safety, and the safety of others, I checked myself in."

"That really sucks." Mac makes a face.

"I think so too." Eve nods toward the girl, "Your turn."

"You won't hate me?"

"I could never hate you. You're my sister."

Mac bites her lip, "I...I like girls. I like them a lot. My mother told me I was abnormal an immoral for liking girls. She told me if I didn't come here and straighten myself out, she would make sure my brother wouldn't talk to me again and that she didn't want me as a part of her life. I tried to commit suicide a few times, but...it never took."

A soft smile spreads across the girl's face, "All that because you're a lesbian?"

"I learned here that there's nothing wrong with feeling that way." She shrugs, "I'm still embarrassed sometimes."

"I don't care what you are. That doesn't change how much I love you." Eve wraps her arms around the girl she had grown to call her sister, hugging her tightly, "I wouldn't change a thing about you because then you wouldn't be Mac. You'd be some other girl and I'm not too keen on strangers." She smirks.

"Promise?" Mac wipes a tear that was forming in her eye.

"Of course I promise." She nods, "Maybe tell the desk that you're planning on going? I will do the same, then I'll call a taxi, or Rusty...I'm not sure."

"Rusty comes here a lot for you."

"He's our brother."

"I know who he is." Mac shrugs, "He likes you better than me, I guess."

"Well, you'll learn. Rusty has been there for me. He's a great ally to have in your corner. He has his own share of skeletons from his closet and he's overcome them and become this great guy. I'm proud to call him my brother." She stands, "Not to mention he supplies my cigarillos." Eve grins.

The younger woman follows her, "Will he hate me for being a lesbian?"

"No one in our family will hate you. No one will hate you except people who don't understand it or try to hide behind their religion to spread hate." She shrugs, "Don't worry about it, okay?"

"Don't worry about what?" Andy Flynn hears the girls, neither one able to talk very quietly. He walks into the pavilion hand in hand with his wife, "Look, Sharon, they're bonding."

"How do you know we don't hate one another and we getting up to fist fight?" Eve smirks, her mother's black cashmere cardigan pushed back as she places her hands on her hips.

Mac smirks, "Right? I can't stand this girl."

"Oh stop." Sharon walks to them, hugging them both closely.

"Funny you two come and visit today. We've decided that we're both ready to leave." Eve nods, glancing to Andy, "Up for driving us to my apartment?"

"To your apartment? Both of you?" Andy makes a face.

"To be honest, Dad," Mac swallows, taking a deep breath as she looks at him, "I'm a lesbian."

"Oh...alright, does that mean we can go to more baseball games together?" He smirks.

"Stereotype." Sharon gives him a look, hitting his arm playfully, "That's great, Mac. I'm happy for you."

Eve leans over, speaking quietly in the younger woman's ear, "See how that works?"

Mac smiles, "Mom's husband and her aren't going to want me there. I can't live a lie, Dad."

"So," The other woman nods, "So, we've decided to live together. She needs a place to live and I don't want to be alone. It's win-win."

"Are you...are you able to afford that, Evey?" Sharon shakes her head slowly.

"If you two cover the bill for St. Joseph's, then yes. Daddy made sure Chad and I were taken care of. If I wanted to, I wouldn't have to work again."

"That well?"

Eve smirks, nodding again, "So don't worry about it."

"You're more than welcome to stay with Sharon and I as well." Andy nods to her.

"No offence, but it's a little crowded at your place." Mac makes a face.

Sharon can see the difference in the girls' dispositions. She and her husband had made an effort to visit the girls several times a week to show their support. It was a nice change for all of them. She grins, "Well, I think you girls will do great. Allow us to fix your room at Eve's?"

Mac nods quickly, glancing to Eve, "Do you mind?"

"It's an office right now. I have plenty of room there. You'll need a bed and...bedroom things." Eve nods, "Go crazy..." She pauses, "Sorry, this isn't a good place for that." She laughs at herself.

Andy follows as Sharon walks back inside with both of the girls. He smiles, happy everything seems to be back on track.

Days pass and everything seems to be moved to where it's supposed to be. The bedroom is set up and everything is still new. Mac wanders out into the living room, taking stock of the art on the walls. She looks closer, noticing the initials on the corner of the piece, "Eve?"

Eve spits out the toothpaste that was swimming around in her mouth and steps into the hallway, wiping the corner of her lips with the back of her hand, "Yeah?"

"Did you paint this?" The large canvas sits on the wall above the sofa. She tilts her head to the side, smirking.

"Yes, why?" Walking closer, she folds her arms.

Mac shakes her head slowly, "It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen."

"You're leading me on." Eve smirks, walking toward the kitchen.

"I'm not. Did you go to school for art or something? I've noticed your other paintings and the drawings in your bedroom." She shrugs, "I think it's cool. I like the framed one in the hallway."

"The one in the hallway isn't mine. My mother did that one." She sets a kettle of water on the stove. Eve picks her wrist up, checking her watch with a nod before looking back to the girl, "I didn't go to school for it, no. It's just something I do sometimes."

"Would you teach me how?" Mac smiles.

"Oh...yeah, sure." She nods.

"I didn't know your mother painted."

"Sharon Raydor has many talents...Sharon Flynn, sorry." Eve smirks, "Actually, the art bug bit myself and my brother." She walks past her, pointing to a foot tall statue of what looks like a female superhero in the cabinet, "My brother made this." She opens the cabinet, taking it from the shelf, "Know who it is?"

Mac studies it a moment then smiles, "It's you."

She waves her eyebrows, putting it back up and closing the glass doors, "Chad is an amazing sculptor, but decided that he could get nowhere with that knowledge and decided to go into construction. I don't understand how one makes the jump from sculptor to hard hat wearing jerk off, but whatever."

"Your brother is older?"

"I tell people that, but no, I'm older than him by a good four years." Eve smirks.

Mac nods slowly, "Does he ever come over?"

"Sometimes. Usually when I'm not expecting him. Once, I made this gigantic feast because he said he was bringing his girlfriend over so he could introduce us. They ended up falling asleep in her apartment after hitting a bong and completely forgetting about dinner. Didn't talk to him for weeks, mostly for not sharing his weed." She smirks.

She frowns ever so slightly, "You do drugs?"

"Oh, honey." Eve shakes her head, "It isn't like that. Our parents did it when they were young. If you're not having a drug test and you're being safe about it all, it's fine. It isn't going to hurt you. It's a plant."

"My dad did drugs?"

"You are getting way ahead of yourself." She sighs, "If you want to try it, I can talk to Chad for you."

"I'm sixteen."

She pauses, "You never went to school with potheads?"

"I..." Mac shrugs, "I don't know."

"It's entirely up to you what you want to do with it. I actually think I may be able to get it medicinally dispersed instead of talking to my brother. It does the same stuff the pills do...well, my pills at least. The potheads when you're in highschool don't know when to limit themselves to the stuff. It's dangerous sometimes. They're prescribing the stuff for ADD and ADHD now and it's catching like wildfire." She shrugs, "Don't feel pressured, I'm just letting you know that from time to time, I'm going to be a little high. It's how I like to paint."

She nods, "Okay." She smiles a little, "What did you do before the hospital? Did you work?"

Eve nods, "I was a teacher."

"Did you not like it?"

"I loved it, but I was fired for being away for so long." She sighs, "Get brutally attacked, raped, and lose your kid and that's how you get thanked for your service at a private school."

Mac listens to her closely, "You had a kid?"

"I had a miscarriage. It's...one of the reasons I was at the hospital." Eve shrugs, "But, I've come to terms with it. I've learned that I can't go back. I can't do anything different. I can only go forward. So...that's that."

"Sorry, I didn't-"

"Mac, really. Don't worry about it." She offers her a smile, "So, what do you want for dinner?"


	9. Chapter 9

A First Birthday party, family dinners, therapy sessions, AA meetings, the lives of the Flynns seem to have turned into a constant cycle. However, tonight was special. Tonight was the night they had all been looking forward to.

"You bought Rusty a ticket to the Policeman's Ball?" Sharon watches as her daughter struts in, donned in her cocktail dress.

"He's my date." Eve smirks, "Mac is going to watch Kate since she isn't old enough to go yet. Chad said it's already packed. He's trying to save a table, but isn't going to be able to for much longer."

"I never run late. My apologies." Sharon shakes her head, running back toward her bedroom, the wheels against the hardwood floor signal her youngest daughter following her, "Really, Katie?"

"That's what you get for putting her in Baby Jail." Rusty sits next to Andy on the sofa. He smiles to his sister, "You look amazing."

"Oh, this old thing?" Eve smirks. The deep red dress hugged her hips while remaining loose at the top, a pair of nude heels showed how her legs seem to go on for miles, "Thank you, Rusty. You look quite dapper yourself."

"This old thing?" Rusty teases her, "Kate, leave her alone." He calls out, seeing the girl roll back into the living room.

"It's ridiculous how much she looks like Mom." She smiles, shaking her head slowly.

"I don't think she even has a father. I think it's just all your mother." Andy leans over the sofa, "Looking great, Evey."

"Thanks, Andy." She walks over to him, kissing his cheek softly and sitting on his lap.

"Where's Mac?"

"She's in the kitchen, looking at menus."

Andy raises an eyebrow, "Menus?"

"I didn't have time to make her dinner after school. She's fine. She's a big girl." Eve grins to him, "I gave her some money to order something."

"I ordered Chinese." Mac walks out from the kitchen, "Sorry I didn't come say hello first." She grins, walking over to her father and kissing his cheek.

"You have been with friends for the last couple of dinners. How have you been?" Andy smiles to his daughter.

"I didn't think I would like it at St. Joseph's, but I really do. I'm on Principal's list."

"What's that?"

Sharon walks out, her hands at her ear as she fixes her earring, "She has an A plus in all of her classes. That's incredible." She picks her head up, "My kids never got it."

"Yeah, Mom, we were all a bunch of dumb asses." Eve nods, smirking.

"I wish I had my camera." She walks past her daughter, gently touching her arm.

"Your camera is the size of a small country." Rusty giggles.

"It was my father's. He gave it to me in college." Sharon smiles, "I use my closet as a dark room."

"There has to be hundreds of pictures of Katie, easily." He nods.

"There are just as many of you." She smirks, laughing when he makes a face.

"Mom is stealthy like that." Eve grins.

Andy grins, "Can we get the hell out of here?"

Sharon nods, "Mac, everything for Kate is in the cabinet next to the refrigerator. She likes the toddler finger raviolis a lot. So, make sure you cover her up as much as possible before letting her feed herself-"

"I usually just take her clothes off and just let her go in her diaper and bib while she eats. That way, you can just throw her in the tub after." Rusty smiles, then puts his hand up when he gets a look from the girl's mother, "Sorry."

"That's a good idea though. Wish I would have thought of that." She wraps an arm around the boy when he stands.

Mac waves a hand, "Okay, stand together. Look like you all like another. I'll take a few pictures with my phone." She smirks, watching as the people stand awkwardly for some posed shots, but is able to snap a few candid ones before they rush out the door.

Andy hands the keys to the chauffeur when they pull up to the hotel where the ball was being held. He smiles, holding Sharon's hand in his. He leans over, "Have I mentioned just how amazing you look tonight?"

"I believe you have."

"Well, it's true. I'm going to have to try my damnedest not to rip that dress off of you while we dance." He smirks.

Sharon rolls her eyes, "I could say the same about you and that suit."

"What do you think they're talking about?" Rusty loops his sister's arm into his own, "I've never been to anything like this."

"You probably don't want to know what they're talking about." Eve smirks, shaking her head slowly. She looks down at the young man she had grown to refer to as her brother, "Prom is coming up for you. Aren't you a little excited about that?"

"I would be, but I just broke up with someone." He shrugs, "It's okay. I don't really like to dance."

"You don't like to dance?"

Rusty shakes his head a little, "I don't really know how, to be honest."

"Oh." Eve laughs a little, "I'll teach you."

"Plus, I'm not a football player. I'm in the chess club. Girls don't really chase after me."

"Well, they're dumb. You're pretty handsome." She shakes her head, "Do me a favor tonight?"

"Anything."

"If you notice that I'm starting to get ahead of myself, tell me so. If you notice I'm freaking out, help me." Eve swallows, then smiles with a nod, "This is my first big thing since getting out and...I don't know how I'm going to react yet."

"Okay." Rusty smiles to her, "You want me to babysit you."

"Yes."

"Sure." He nods, walking through and noticing Chad had lost the battle for some of the seats. He points at other seats from other tables that were right around one another.

"Let's make friends." Eve smirks, sitting with him.

"I look shorter when I stand next to you."

"You aren't exactly a giant, Rusty." She shakes her head, glancing up at the live band, complete with live singers. The colors warm and fall like. "Nice, isn't it?"

Rusty glances around, taking in all he possibly can, "Yeah...like in the movies."

Eve nods, "We didn't come last year because Mom was busy being an old pregnant woman."

Sharon walks past her daughter at the perfect moment, "I heard that." She gives her a look, holding Andy's hand as she is dragged to the dance floor by him.

Rusty's smile grows, "Everyone looks great." He nods, noticing the other people from the Major Crimes division, he motions to them.

Amy Sykes notices the teenage boy, smiling. She walks over, leaning down to his ear to be heard over the loud music, "I think you aged about ten years."

The young man jumps and grins to her, "Detective Sykes, I didn't recognize you."

"Who did you think I was?"

"I mean with the dress and all."

"Oh." She smiles, "Did you bring your girlfriend?"

"That's ancient history. My sister made me come." Rusty smirks.

"Your sister?"

Eve turns in her seat, smiling, "Detective Sykes, looking fantastic, as usual."

"Ms. Raydor, I had no idea you were out of the...had no idea you got out." Amy smiles, straightening up.

"Been out for months." She begins to smirk, "My mother really doesn't talk about us at work...that's probably a good thing." Eve grins.

"Well, we see Kate all the time, so..." Sykes smiles, "So, Rusty, I don't have a date and I want to dance."

"You're asking me to dance? Isn't that usually what the boy asks the girl?" A look of horror crosses his face.

"Oh, go ahead. She'll be easy on you." Eve nods to him, then winks to Amy, "Give him a few pointers."

"I can't let you sit by yourself. What kind of date would I be?" Rusty glances to her, shaking his head slowly.

"You need to go." Eve grins, pointing to the dance floor, "Live a little. Let the music flow through you."

He sighs, shaking his head as he stands, walking with the detective to the floor.

"Great turn out." Flynn smiles when he notices the boy, one hand on the small of his wife's back while the other holds her hand on his shoulder.

"It really is." Sharon grins, her eyes nearly glowing from the warm ambiance, "Everyone looks happy for a change."

"Does Chad always come?" He raises an eyebrow.

"Not usually, guess it's to spend time with his favorite Sponsor." She smirks.

Andy rolls his eyes, "Guess so." He kisses her softly, "All the other guys are here and Sykes...well, I barely even recognized her."

"She does look stunning." Sharon smirks, watching Rusty closely with her, "He's doing well."

Flynn follows her eyes, nodding, "A regular Fred Astaire."

Sharon chuckles, noticing Sanchez rise from his table, making a beeline to her daughter.

"I didn't think you'd be here." The man smirks to her.

Eve turns slowly, sipping from her stout glass, "I come every year. I just didn't come last year. It's for a good cause, so I come for good causes."

"Food isn't too bad, neither is open bar." Julio Sanchez smirks, "Want to dance?"

She studies him a moment before rising from her seat to take his hand and slowly sway on the dance floor, "Why do you always come to me?"

"Honestly?"

"Yes."

"Because I like you, Ms. Raydor."

"And it doesn't bother you that my mother is your boss?" She laughs slightly.

"Should it?"

Eve shrugs, blushing, "You should order me a drink, Detective Sanchez." She smirks.

Julio raises an eyebrow, nodding slowly, "Anything you say, Ms. Raydor." He continues to hold her hand as she leads him to the bar area.


	10. Chapter 10

More pictures and glasses tinkling with cheers of good will. The Policeman's Ball represented the officers who sacrificed their lives on a daily basis and raising money to offer their families left behind peace of mind.

Sharon chuckles with her division as Andy teases Provenza about his date, who was probably young enough to be his granddaughter when she notices Rusty walking quickly between people on the dance floor. She shakes her head slowly, waving him over, "Rusty, what's wrong?"

Rusty shakes his head a little, "Nothing. Everything's fine...it's fine." He nods, rubbing the back of his neck, "Have you seen Eve?"

"Oh, she was-" She turns, looking to the place at the table where her daughter was, then to the dancefloor in the corner where she and Detective Sanchez seemed to continually dance, only to find them both empty of her presence. "I...I don't know, I haven't seen her."

"I promised her that I'd keep an eye on her. Not let her do anything stupid." He sighs, "Shit."

"Look, Rusty, I'm sure she's fine."

"She was really drunk last time I saw her. I was going to cut her off." He shakes his head, "This is all my fault."

Sharon sighs, wrapping an arm around him, "Maybe she went to the bathroom-"

"I checked."

She nods slowly, "What about Julio?"

"What about him?"

"Is he missing too?" Sharon smirks.

Rusty stands straighter, glancing around, "Now that you mention it-"

"Maybe he took her home?"

"Hopefully." He sighs, "She doesn't have her phone."

"Well, where is it?" She raises an eyebrow then sighs when the young man takes it from his pocket, "Okay. Don't worry about it." Sharon smiles to him though a thousand different scenarios continue to run through her head.

"You didn't even let the valet take it?" Eve grips onto the man's arm, "That's...I mean, what if like-"

Julio chuckles, "You have had way too much to drink."

"I had one drink."

"Try eight."

"I like Captain and Coke...Captain Morgan is my downfall, Detective. Call me Captain Raydor." She hiccups.

"I'd rather not." He shakes his head, "Let me take you home."

"I'd rather not. I'd rather go to your place." Eve stops him, draping her wrists over his shoulders as she kisses him deeply.

"Hey, that's...I wouldn't feel right if-" Julio shakes his head, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"We should call a cab." She kisses him again, "My treat."

Against his better angels, he looks the young woman in the eye, noticing her desperation, "Why?"

"You've had a few. I don't want to risk it."

"I had maybe three or four. With a body like that, I'm surprised you're even standing." Julio shakes his head.

"I'm still in my heels too." Eve smirks, watching him pull his phone from his pocket and calling a taxi. The drive home mostly consisted of Sanchez attempting to hold the girl upright. She leans on him, "You're a good man, Julio."

"I try to be." He nods, stroking her hair gently as the car pulls in front of his apartment.

"Which is why I don't understand why you always want me."

"Because you're beautiful, tough, smart." Julio helps her out of the car, surprised she is still able to walk on her own, "All the things I like in a woman."

"Young. You forgot young. I'm younger than you." Eve nods, holding his hand as they walk up the steps.

"I know you are." He smirks, "Another thing I like."

"I thought you liked Sykes."

He shrugs, "I do, I guess."

"Didn't you dance with her tonight?" She steps through the door, glancing around at the walls filled with family pictures.

"I was with you."

Eve grins, kissing his cheek and walking to the living room and kicking off her shoes, "Finally." She sits on the sofa, motioning for him to join her, "Will you do me a favor, Detective?"

"You can call me Julio, you know."

"I like calling you Detective better."

"Okay, what is your favor?"

"Ravage me." Eve answers breathlessly, watching him as she lounges on the sofa..

Julio's stoic expression turns into a slow smirk, "I'd go to hell."

"Yeah, but by doing something you really like." She smiles, her tongue slowly gliding over her lips

He raises an eyebrow, "But you're wasted."

"I'm the daughter of an alcoholic. I can handle my liquor." She nods, "Besides, I'm beginning to sober up a little and there's nothing I want more right now than you."

"What about tomorrow?"

"What about it?"

"I wanted to go on a date with you. Not just a fling." He walks to the sofa, loosening his tie as he sits beside her.

"We'll worry about it tomorrow." Eve nods, "I want someone I trust to do this. I trust you, Julio." She sits up, her designer dress still fitting every curve of her body like nothing had before, "I want you to touch me. I want you to..." She shakes her head a little, "It's the first time after...and I need someone I trust to do this for me. I have needs and urges. You understand."

"You want to use me."

"No. Not even close." She leans forward, kissing his jaw softly, "Please, Julio. Please, do this for me."

"Don't run out on me in the morning." He turns his head, kissing her lips tenderly.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Julio nods slowly, standing, and picking her up off the sofa. He holds her in his arms as they continue to kiss, he carries her to his bedroom, making sure to continue being gentle with her. His masculine hands reach behind her and release her zipper, allowing her dress to slowly fall down her shoulders.

Eve finishes removing her dress, lying nude before him, propped up on a stack of pillows, "Your turn." She motions to his dress shirt, "Be careful, I plan to wear that in the morning." She smirks, slowly removing her thin panties.

"This isn't just liquid courage?" Sanchez slowly unbuttons his shirt, feeling himself grow hard in his trousers at the sight of her perfect form.

She tilts her head to the side, "Do you not believe I'd want you otherwise?"

He shakes his head slowly, "You've turned me down before."

"I've turned you down a lot."

"Right."

"Maybe it's because I was afraid to admit I liked you too." She leans forward, unbuckling his buckle, unhinging his pants, and pushing them with his boxers down his thighs. Eve looks up at him, smirking, "Sometimes liquid courage isn't always a bad thing." She reaches a hand out to stroke his member.

Julio looks down at her, "You'll tell me if I'm hurting you? Tell me to stop if I do." He nods.

"This isn't exactly my first time around this block."

"Didn't think it was." He motions for her to lie back, taking in the soft pink scars that riddle her alabaster skin from her ordeal a year ago. Sanchez can't imagine the pain she must have gone through, the strength she had to carry on was nothing short of a miracle. Watching as she lies in a missionary position, he moves between her thighs, reaching a hand down to feel her wetness. He smiles, using his fingers to probe her insides. He notices her nipples become more pronounced and can't help but lean down and take one into his mouth, causing her to jump ever so slightly.

"Oh God, Detective..." She mumbles, watching him suckle upon her breast. Eve moans loudly, "Make love to me, Julio."

He nods, picking his head up. A man of few words, he edges his manhood between her folds, almost as if she were a virgin, before fully pushing himself inside of her. Julio gives her a few moments to allow her body to acclimate to him. He leans down, kissing her as he rides her slowly.

Eve gently wraps her wrists behind his head, holding him in a kiss. She breaks it to catch her breath as he quickens his pace, "Yes." She whispers in his ear as he kisses along her neck. This is why he didn't talk much, she thinks. Not as if it's a constant thing he does, but his confidence comes from somewhere. Whether it be his size or his ability to please a woman, she didn't know, but she likes it. She slowly closes her eyes, leaning her head back as she reaches her climax.

"Shut up." A hand slaps her face, a slice across her body. "Damn it." His face, the face of the man she once thought she loved, but really it was all a lie. Another cut. "You yell so damn much." A hard punch to the temple, "Stupid bitch." The world became dark.

She quickly bolts her eyes open, she feels him climax inside her. Eve watches as he continues to hover above her, holding himself up with his muscular arms. This wasn't Michael. This wasn't the man that hurt her and ruined her life.

Julio grins, pushing a few more times before rolling off of her. "Well?"

Eve shakes ever so slightly, taking his hand, "Thank you." She whispers.

He slowly looks over her, "Are you alright?"

She swallows, nodding as she feels the sudden burn of tears fill her eyes.

"No, you're not." He props himself up to look her over, "I told you to tell me if I was hurting you."

"You didn't hurt me." She feels a tear escape and trickle over the side of her face, "You were fantastic."

He kisses the corner of her mouth, "Then why are you crying?"

Eve shakes her head, "Don't worry about it." Her voice near a whisper.

"Eve-"

"Don't worry about it." She replies again, putting her face against his bare chest.

Julio is more than happy to wrap his strong arms around her, holding her closely to him. He doesn't know what just happened, but he knows something isn't right.


	11. Chapter 11

Sharon paces the next morning in the living room, her hands delicately on her hips as she walks back and forth. She looks down to her younger daughter who was standing in front of her on her own, "Your sister isn't back yet. I'm worried. I apologize." She nods to her.

"You're going to wear a hole into the floor." Andy shakes his head, sipping coffee as he sits at the kitchen bar, reading the newspaper, "She's fine."

"Rusty said she was extremely intoxicated last night."

"So, wherever she is, she probably has a hangover." He nods, "She was with Sanchez. She probably still is this morning."

"My daughter isn't that type of girl." Sharon shakes her head slowly.

"What type of girl is that? One that has one night stands?" Flynn raises an eyebrow, motioning to Kate, "A one night stand is how we got her and how we realized-"

"Please, be quiet." She continues to pace slowly.

Rusty walks out from his bedroom, noticing her walking to and fro, "Any word?"

"No."

"Damn." He sighs, moving to the kitchen, "I'm making breakfast. I'll make a quiche, so...it will be a little while. Mac is still sleeping. I let her have the bed, I slept on the floor.

"Why didn't you sleep on the couch?" Andy glances to him over his paper.

He shrugs, "In case Eve came here."

"Well, she didn't. Hasn't even phoned." Sharon sighs.

Andy smiles, watching as Kate sits in front of her block set, dumping it to the floor, "Sanchez isn't going to let anything happen to her."

"How can you be so sure?"

"How can you not be?" He raises an eyebrow.

Sharon nods a little, "You're right, but it's my job, as her mother, to worry about her."

"Well, don't think about it then." Andy folds his paper up, taking another sip of his coffee, "We should try to guess exactly how old Provenza's date was yesterday."

"And why he didn't bring Liz."

"Something about Liz's brother having medical issues and she went to visit him."

"Did she know he was taking someone my age?" Rusty smirks, still cooking at the stove.

"Look, for all we know, that could have been his granddaughter." Andy shakes his head.

"You don't know?" Sharon gives up on her pacing and moves over to the kitchen to stand closer.

He shrugs, "I've met some of his family. Not all of them."

She nods, her mind still obviously elsewhere.

"Look, Shar, what if I go to Sanchez's apartment and see what's going on?" Andy watches her, "Did you even try calling him? Sending him one of those text messages?"

Rusty slides the dish into the oven, "I'll do it. It's weird if she is over there and you hear it." He walks past them, going to get his phone from his room.

Eve slowly opens her eyes, the light from the nearby window stings her retinas. Her head pounds to the beat of her heart and she doesn't know where she is. She looks down at her completely naked body, noticing her dress lying nicely over the TV in the room. She moans, covering her eyes with her hand.

Sanchez steps into the room dressed in nothing but a pair of boxers, "Hey." He smirks.

Lifting her hand from her eyes slightly, she looks to him, confused, "Detective Sanchez?"

"I made bacon and eggs if you'd like some." He motions toward the kitchen, spatula in his hand.

"What happened last night?"

"Seriously?" Sanchez raises an eyebrow.

Eve slowly edges herself up with her arms, the sheet around her chest falling, "Oh God, did we..." A look of horror on her face.

He nods, "Rusty sent me a text asking if you were with me. I told him you were safe."

"Where's my phone?"

Julio shakes his head, "Rusty has it."

"Oh." She swallows, pulling the sheet back over her bosom, "Do you have some aspirin?"

"Hangover? I'm surprised you didn't try sleeping in until noon." He walks past her, retrieving it from the top of his dresser, he tosses the bottle to her, "Hold tight, I'll get you some water." He walks back out to the other room.

Eve bites her lip, seeing the man's dress shirt nearby, she wraps it around herself, buttoning a few of the bottom buttons. She slept with Detective Sanchez the night before. The thought races through her mind, smiling a little to him when he returns with a glass of ice water, "Tell me, last night...Was I..."

"Normal?" Julio folds his arms, shrugging, "You acted weird after we both came." He answers bluntly, "Cried for a little while."

"I appreciate your honesty, Detective." She takes the set of pills, "Thank you." She waits a moment before standing from the bed.

"I'm glad you didn't try sneaking out."

"You thought I would?"

"I thought you'd try." He moves to her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Eve smiles, reaching a hand up to his cheek and kissing his lips softly before walking past him, "I want to talk to you about something."

"Yeah?" Julio follows her.

"What if we um...make this a thing?"

"You mean dating?"

"No, I mean the sex." She nods, "I want to be used to it again." The night slowly begins to return to her as she sits at the small dinner table.

He raises an eyebrow, "I don't follow."

"You're welcome to see whoever you want, but...I don't know if I'm ready for a relationship just yet."

"Will you ever be ready?"

"I don't know." Eve swallows, "I would like to...I'd like to try having sex with you from time to time."

"What?" Sanchez pushes the bar down on the toaster.

"I really like you a lot, and maybe this feeling, this...insecurity, will go away sooner or later. The biggest part of helping to eliminate it is physical contact that I control with someone I trust."

"And you want me to be the guy you trust..."

"Yes." She takes a deep breath, sitting up more.

"Tell me what happened before you started freaking out last night and I'll consider it." His voice nearly monotone as he watches her.

Eve swallows, "I've been remembering bits and pieces of what happened. I saw his face, I felt his cuts...Last night I realized that he's never going to go away. Not without physical contact over and over again. Not without your help."

He sighs, looking at her before shaking his head, "No."

"No?"

"I won't do it."

"You said if I told you-"

"I said I'd consider it."

Eve shakes her head, speaking with her hands, "You and Provenza. The only people, outside of family, that I fully trust."

"So ask Provenza." He glances to her, "How do you want your eggs?"

She folds her arms, leaning her head side to side in an attempt to relieve her tension, "If I agree to date you-"

"You said you weren't ready for that."

"I changed my mind."

"I've never met anyone who just wants me for one thing." Julio cracks the eggs into the frying pan.

Eve shakes her head, "It's more than one thing."

"Yeah?" He doesn't look at her, "Then explain it to me."

"Fuck Buddies." The words nearly drip from her tongue as she picks up a piece of crispy bacon, "I take care of your needs, you take care of mine. If it develops into something more, fantastic. If it doesn't, we'll always be there for one another in one way or the other."

Julio shrugs, "That...that actually doesn't sound half bad."

"See?"

"I want to still pursue you though."

Eve smirks, taking a bite of the bacon, "Fine."

"What about if things happen?" He slides the eggs onto a plate, pushing it to her with freshly made toast.

"Like?" She watches him as he gives her a look, "Oh..." She grins, "Then lucky us."

Sanchez pauses before cracking his own eggs, "Is that what this is for?"

"No." Eve shakes her head, "But I'm not planning on taking any precautions to keep it from happening."

He smirks, finally cracking them into the hot pan, "Fine."

"It also opens up the door for you to date Sykes."

"I'm not interested in Sykes."

"Maybe not, but she's interested in you and you can give her one date."

"I see her as my little sister."

"I'm younger than she is and she gets the little sister card?" Eve raises an eyebrow.

Julio shrugs, "That's just how it is." He looks at her, "You remind me of my wife."

Her smile fades as she sits up straighter, "You're married?"

"Widowed."

"Oh." She nods, relaxing her shoulders, "How do I remind you of her?"

"You have spark and you're a good person. You're beautiful and you have a great smile. You're smart and want to share your knowledge with everyone around you." He turns, noticing her eyes are wet, "Hey, don't cry." Sanchez moves to her, handing her the kitchen towel draped over his shoulder.

"That's just very nice of you to say, is all." Eve smiles to him.

"It's true." He plates up his own egg, standing while he eats, "If things happen between us, a kid I mean, I will marry you."

"That isn't necessary."

"To me, it is." Julio smiles to her.

"I'm not saying it will absolutely happen." Eve shakes her head, finishing the food on her plate, "I'm not saying I'm trying, I'm saying I'm not stopping it from happening."

"You could just say you want my kid." He nods, teasing her mostly.

"Detective Sanchez-"

"Eve," He smirks, "That's what it boils down to."

"What it boils down to is thinking you have everything you want in life and losing it all within a matter of months while my mother suddenly has everything I once thought I had." She nods, "If you want to boil everything down."

"How about we take a shower?"

"Together?"

"Have to keep the water bill down." He smirks when she rolls her eyes, "And then get a taxi to go get my car. I'll drop you off to your apartment after."

"Sounds like a plan." She rises from her seat, then glances to him, "My car is at my mother's as well as my step-sister who lives with me, so...you'll have to take me there."

"Wherever you want to go." Julio grins more.

Eve nods, kissing his lips tenderly, "I'm keeping the shirt...I'm wearing it home."

"And what about pants?"

"What about them?" She smirks.

"I like your style, Ms. Raydor." He wraps an arm around her, kissing her lips once more as he leads her to the bathroom.

Rusty glances to his phone when it vibrates, returning to the living room, "She's with Sanchez. He says he'll have her back here soon."

Andy smirks, "The girl is like her mother." He takes another sip of coffee.

Sharon puts a hand up as she helps Kate put her blocks away, "I don't need to know."


	12. Chapter 12

Sharon Raydor sits on the edge of her desk, looking through the window to the city below as she chats on the phone with another division, "Yes...yes, I understand." She nods, "Thank you, very much. Have the files brought to my office as soon as possible." She places the phone back onto the receiver, covering her mouth with her hand. Sitting for a few moments, she rises from her seat, walking out to the rest of her squad.

"Look, I don't care what you say, Dodgers are taking it this year." Flynn nods to Provenza, "They have a great new center fielder and shortstop this time around."

"I don't care. They've been out of touch for three or four seasons now." Provenza shakes his head, slowly glancing over to his boss, "Captain, you look like you just seen a ghost."

"I just got off the phone with Homicide. Samantha Merrick was found this morning, having hanged herself via her ceiling fan." Sharon swallows, "She was Rusty's ex-girlfriend."

"Holy shit. She wasn't lying." Flynn shakes his head, "What did Homicide want?"

"Rusty was mentioned in her suicide letter as the cause for her demise and her mother is planning on pressing charges. They wanted to give me a heads up, but I talked them into letting our division handle the case." Raydor nods, "I am going call the office at St. Joseph's and have them release Rusty early to come here."

"Good call. I'll text him and give him a heads up." He nods.

"Wait, Flynn, what did you mean she wasn't lying?" Provenza looks to his friend.

"In order guilt Rusty into staying with her, she told him that if he ever broke up with her, she would kill herself. He broke up with her a few months ago...I guess she made good on her promise." Flynn shrugs, "Feel bad that a kid is dead, but there are other reasons here than Rusty. I know it."

Raydor nods, "Yes, so I'm going to go back to my office. I expect a call from the DA's office. I want to work closely with them on this." She looks to them all, "So, if you need me, I'll be in there." Sharon returns to her office.

Sanchez picks up his phone, another text message, he smirks, replying.

"That's the third one in ten minutes. What's her name?" Provenza looks to the man.

"How do you know it isn't my mother?"

"Lucky guess." He leans back in his chair, "Who is she?"

Sanchez shakes his head, "None of your business."

"It's Eve Raydor." Sykes folds her arms, "We all know it's her. We know she spent the night at your place after the Policemen's Ball."

"Julio 'The Ladies Man' Sanchez strikes again?" Provenza raises an eyebrow.

"We're just friends." He gives Amy a look, reading another message from his phone and quickly standing, "I'll be right back." He grabs his jacket from the back of his seat and puts it on, walking to the elevators.

Flynn rolls his eyes, "They dating?" He glances to Sykes.

"I think so." She nods, "It must be kind of serious, he talks to her all day, every day. Been that way ever since the Policeman's Ball and that was...what...almost a month ago?"

He nods, "Alright. Don't tell her mother. She doesn't need to know."

Provenza chuckles, "Because we know how he is when it comes to girls."

"He hurts her and I'll kill him. He probably knows that and that's why he hasn't said anything to anyone." Flynn nods, smirking.

"He's been after her for a long time, Andy." Tao shakes his head, looking through files on his computer, but hearing the subject matter, "Ever since she came in here for the first time. When you broke her out of the hospital. Remember that?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter. He should know she's off limits."

"Why is she off limits?" Louie leans forward in his seat, "She's a woman. You still got with the Captain. Why wasn't she off limits?"

"That was different."

"How?"

"I knew her for fifteen years beforehand." Flynn shakes his head, "I fell in love with her then. Not recently."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Buzz folds his arms at his desk, "No one says she's in love with him."

"He drops everything he's doing if he gets a text." Sykes rolls her eyes.

"I could bring up what the messages are saying." Tao smirks.

"Go ahead." Flynn stands, "Provenza, how about we head over to that girl's house and talk to the mother?"

Provenza nods, "When those files get here, Sykes, call me." He rises from his seat, putting his jacket on.

Buzz smirks, "Did you need me to do anything to help your exposing of Detective Sanchez?"

"Yeah, see if you can find out where he is right now." Tao smirks.

"On it." He nods.

"I think it's an invasion of privacy, guys." Sykes shakes her head, biting the corner of her lip. Was she so angry at the man for passing her up that she would willingly let her team do this?

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him." Buzz shakes his head, smiling as he looks back to his computer.

She rises from her seat, quietly making her way to the Captain's office.

Sanchez slowly zippers his pants back up, buckling his belt, "This was the fourth time this week."

"I'm sorry." Eve adjusts her makeup and hair in the bathroom mirror.

"I don't mind." He wraps his arms around her waist, kissing her shoulder from behind, "Not at all."

She grins, "Those Major Crimes boys and girls haven't been asking questions?"

"Sykes gave us up on that." Sanchez shakes his head, "She doesn't know any details, but she saw they were coming from you because your picture pops up when you send me something or when you call."

"What?" Eve freezes.

"She doesn't know what we do. Don't worry about it."

"She can probably put two and two together." She sighs, turning to face him, "If my mother finds out-"

"She isn't going to. I'll make sure of it." He looks her in the eye, kissing her lips softly.

"What if she does?"

"I'll make sure to call you...I'll tell her before the others are able to."

Eve nods, "Okay." She answers quietly, "If that day is today?"

"I'll handle it the same way." Sanchez smirks to her, "If you want me to handle it differently-"

"No, I actually think it's best coming from you and not me."

"Why?"

She pouts her lips in thought, glancing away a moment, "Because I'm still some...I'm still some fragile little thing to her. I'm still her baby girl and the thought of me being in a sexual partnership with someone would probably raise a few red flags."

"Is that what this still is?" He raises an eyebrow.

"It has to be, Julio." She gently strokes his cheek.

"Best month I've ever had." Sanchez grins, "I feel like I'm twenty again."

"Am I addicted to this now?"

"Addicted?"

"Well, I come from a long line of alcoholics. Addictive personalities...ever heard of that?"

"I guess." He nods, "But you aren't addicted to this."

"Four times this week I've sent you text messages stating that I need you."

"And? You think other girlfriends don't-"

"I'm not your girlfriend."

"You could be."

"Julio-"

"Look, I don't care about any of that." Sanchez shakes his head.

"I think I should take a trip." She nods, "I could...My father made arrangements so that my brother and I would live comfortably. I could take a trip around the world, Julio. I could see all that there is to see."

"You could." He nods slowly, "And then what?"

Eve slowly moves her gaze to him, "What do you mean?"

"After you've explored the world, then what will you do?"

"I'll..." She shakes her head slowly, "I don't know what I will do."

"It won't get better, Eve. It won't get better until you admit some things to yourself." He lets her go, pulling his sports coat back on.

She stands there, folding her arms around herself, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means maybe life isn't supposed to be scheduled... Maybe life isn't supposed to be planned. Maybe God didn't want you to have your mother's life...the one that she's built now. He wanted her to have it."

"Really? You're going to bring up God after we just fucked in a stall of a bathroom at your work?" Eve raises an eyebrow, watching him intently as she leans her shoulder against a bathroom stall.

"Maybe..." Sanchez pauses, looking at her, "Maybe he wanted you with me."

"Maybe my brain is made of jello."

"I'm tired of sneaking around."

She swallows, straightening her stance, "So don't anymore." Eve looks at him, "Don't come looking for me, don't ask my mother or stepfather about me, don't even think about me. I gave you everything I-"

"Sex? That's your everything?"

"Right now it is." Eve replies softly, glancing through the open window near the sinks.

"It isn't one thing at a time." He takes her hand, pulling her with him gently.

"Where are we going?" She looks down at her own ensemble, skirt with a silk top and matching jacket. Her interview for a position with the District Attorney's office went well, she thought. Only for an assistant position for one of the Deputies, but it was more something to keep her occupied during the day. They never shared anything like that with one another though. "Julio?" She notices the elevator they were walking towards.

"Be my girlfriend. That's all."

"If I agree, will you stop?"

"Yes."

Eve nods, "Fine." She looks to him as they step onto the elevator, "I was supposed to have lunch with my mother. I was finished my interview early, so...that's why I called you."

"She probably isn't going to go to lunch." Julio shakes his head, glancing up at the lights of each floor as they continue to ride up.

"Why?"

He shrugs, "I'll let her tell you."

"Is this what it's like being with a cop? You can't ever tell me anything?"

"Pretty much." Julio smirks as they arrive to their floor, he steps out, watching as she stays back a moment. He runs his hand through his hair as he returns to his desk.

Waiting a moment before following him, but strolling to her mother's office instead.


	13. Chapter 13

Rusty walks through the Murder Room toward Sharon's office. The solemn faces of the others worry him, but he decides to ignore them in favor of getting to the silence of the office. He picks his head up, hearing shouting coming from the woman's office. He hesitates a moment before opening the door.

"Mom, I don't see why it's any of your business who I date more or less what type of text messages I send." Eve places her hands on her hips, standing her ground in front of her mother's desk.

"You sent nude photographs of yourself."

"They were just of my breasts, don't be so vulgar. They were also obtained via an illegal search of Detective Sanchez's phone."

"It was a safety check." Sharon leers over her desk, her hands in fists as they lean on the table.

"Did I come at a bad time?" Rusty glances between them.

Eve looks toward the door, her face softening slightly when she sees the young man, "Hey, little brother."

Sharon nods, "Have a seat, Rusty." She motions to the green chair against the wall.

"Am I in trouble or something?" He does as told, dropping the backpack to the floor and watching the two women.

"Oh, I just got here." Eve puts her hands up, turning the chair sideways in front of her mother's desk before sitting.

"Yes, well." Sharon nods, walking around her desk. She does the same to the other seat, sitting next to her daughter, "Rusty, I got a call today from Homicide division and I have some bad news-"

"Is my mother dead?" He folds his arms, watching them.

"No." She shakes her head slowly.

"Daniel Dunn then?"

"That wouldn't necessarily be bad news. No, it isn't him." Sharon clears her throat a little, "I'm sorry to say that police were called to the scene of a suicide today and there they found-"

"How did she do it?" Rusty answers, his voice quiet. He knew exactly whom she was speaking of, "How did Sam do it?"

She swallows, nodding slightly as she sits back in her chair, "She hanged herself from her ceiling fan."

"Sam the...Your ex?" Eve shakes her head, "Holy shit."

"She told me she would. This is my fault." Rusty shakes his head, looking to the floor.

"Rusty." Sharon leans forward again, gently placing a hand on his knee to get his attention, "She wasn't stable. She wouldn't have threatened you with it."

"Stable is in the eye of the beholder." Eve slowly folds her legs at the knee, pouting a smirk, "She's right though, that's emotional abuse."

"What now?" He shakes his head, "What do I do? Do I do anything?"

"Well, that's where it gets a little tricky." Sharon nods, "You were mentioned in her suicide note as the cause for her death. She said you beat her during your time together and made her feel worthless. I've special requested Morales to do an autopsy which may be able to tell if there was any sort of beatings going on...I have to hear it from you though. Did you ever hit Samantha Merrick while she was alive?"

"You're seriously asking me that question?" Rusty gives her a look, "Are you joking right now?"

"It's a formality and I never want to doubt you, Rusty. I never have and I don't want to start."

"I've never hit anyone who hasn't hit me first." He shakes his head, "I'd never hit a girl."

"Good." Sharon offers him a smile, "I'll see what I can do. I called Gavin to-"

"You called him for me?" He watches the woman.

"Samantha's mother is pressing charges. Given that you're eighteen, she may be able to file a Civil suit."

"She's suing me?"

Sharon tilts her head to the side, "She's threatened it."

"I didn't do anything." Rusty shakes his head.

"I don't think she knows her daughter was crazy, which is why I called Gavin so that he can handle it and let the woman know that you are already legally covered." She nods, standing and walking back behind her desk.

Eve shrugs, watching her mother, "Just like that..."

"It will probably be dismissed. There are no grounds except for the letter and even that gives no other information." Sharon slowly goes through the box of evidence, "An autopsy should clear it up."

"Did she..." He stands, slowly looking to Sharon, "You said she hanged herself...did she suffer long?"

"They usually don't." Eve answers for her mother, "Usually the rope snaps the neck with force. If not, the rope, or whatever was used, pressed against her windpipe until she was finally gone." She nods, "There were a few at the hospital. I read up on it."

"You read up on what happens during a hanging?"

"What else was I going to do? Contemplate life?" She snarls the corner of her top lip, rising to wrap an arm around him.

"This um...this really sucks." Rusty says quietly, "Excuse me." He walks from the room.

Eve watches as the door slams behind him, "Go after him?"

"No." Sharon shakes her head, "He needs to cry and he won't do that in front of people."

"Oh." She nods, "That fight before...it all seems trivial now."

The older woman picks her head up from the box, looking to her daughter above her glasses, "Just...calm down with him. He's a good detective, a good man, and if you're distracting him so much that the others are looking up his phone records to see what you're saying to him, you have to calm down."

"I'm not doing it on purpose."

"Eve-"

"I'm not doing this for fun. I'm doing it to see if I still feel."

Sharon shakes her head, "To see if you still-" She pauses, "This is just...This is all just for that?" She puts a hand up, shaking her head harder, "I don't want to know."

"You asked. You wanted to know. He asked that I be his girlfriend only recently and I agreed, but before...yes, that's all it was." Eve nods slowly, "Rusty's hurting and none of that matters right now...He needs you."

"I know how he works. He runs until he can be alone." She glances to her daughter, "You're right." She nods, walking past her, "Where do you think he went?"

"Janitors' closet, bathroom. The spots are limitless."

"You aren't helping." Sharon shakes her head, motioning for the young woman to follow and help her.

Eve sighs, rising from her seat to walk next to her.

Provenza returns to his desk with Flynn next to him, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Did you find out anything?" Sykes perks her head up.

"Samantha Merrick was an only child and her mother is crazy, so apples don't fall far from the tree." Flynn nods to her.

"She did, however, just lose her daughter and I think she's..." Provenza shakes his head slowly, "She's trying to guard herself into thinking it didn't happen. I don't think she's going to file anything."

"Thinking and knowing are two different things." Sanchez leans forward in his desk chair.

"She won't." Andy shakes his head, glancing over to see his wife and stepdaughter walking out of her office, appearing as if they were searching for something. He motions over, glancing between the people who had been there the entire time.

"They're fighting about Sanchez." Tao smirks.

"Wouldn't have known except Amy had to tell her we were doing a search." Buzz folds his arms.

"You searched my phone?" Julio looks between the two technologically savy men, "You looked through my phone."

"You were distracted. It was dangerous." Tao watches him, "I apologize, but we felt it needed to happen. I'd expect the same done with myself if the situation ever arises."

"Which it never would because you're married." He glares ever so slightly.

"I didn't think it was right, but it's done and..." Sykes shrugs, "It's done."

Flynn looks to them all, nodding slowly before focusing on the man sitting across from him, "Julio, you're with my step-daughter?"

"Yes." Sanchez answers simply.

"Since the Ball?"

"Yes, Lieutenant."

He glances back toward his wife and Eve as they continue to walk the hallway, "Fine."

Buzz clicks through some things on his computer, finally looking at the links to the surveillance cameras in Interview Room two, seeing Rusty sitting on the desk, sobbing. He looks up before jogging over to his boss, "Captain?"

"Have you seen Rusty?" Sharon Raydor looks up at him.

He nods, "Interview two." He glances to Eve, "Might want to stick back with your boyfriend."

Eve sighs, understanding the entire division knew of their relationship, "If you need me-"

"Yeah." Sharon nods, giving her daughter's hand a squeeze before jogging toward the other room. She stands there a moment, attempting to compose herself before opening the door, "Rusty?"

"Get out." Rusty replies calmly, looking away from her, toward the wall.

She swallows, watching him intently, "I won't leave, Rusty."

"Please..."

"No." She steps closer, "We've been together for over two years now and I have never held you back and kept you from...running off and crying behind closed doors, but I can't anymore."

"Go away." He says again, nearly growling.

"This wasn't your fault. This had nothing to do with-"

"It had everything to do with me. If I just would have sucked it up-"

"You'd be even more unhappy and then where would we be?" Sharon shakes her head, finally reaching out to touch his arm.

Rusty instinctively moves away from her, "She'd be alive."

"Gavin is going to clear this all up." She tries to wrap an arm around him once more.

"Get out!" He yells at her, inadvertently pushing her away and into a chair when he moves again. Rusty slowly realizes what he has done when he notices her wince. He swallows, "Sorry."

"It's...It's okay." Sharon shakes her head.

"I'm...I didn't mean to-" Rusty slowly reaches a hand to her.

She takes the opportunity of his defenses being down to wraps her arms around him, "You don't always have to run away."

"I hurt you." He whispers.

"It's just a bruise. Not like I don't obtain them on my own. I'm not exactly the most graceful human around." Sharon shakes her head slowly.

Rusty bites his lip, afraid of hurting her again. He gently wraps his arms around her in response. He was now several inches taller than her than he was only two years ago.

"Okay, now. Let's wait for Gavin to talk about this." She gently strokes his hair, absently almost, "He's never failed me before and I don't plan on him starting to today." Sharon feels his shoulders slump ever so slightly as he feels relief rush over him, she smiles.

"Thanks, Mom." He replies softly.

"Yeah, so...Okay. Let's go sit in my office?"

"I can't just go home?" Rusty continues to hold onto her ever so slightly.

"I'd rather you wait until Gavin gets here. I'll order food if you'd like...Pizza or Chinese...whatever you'd like." Sharon adjusts how she holds him, slowly making her way to the door and back toward her office.

"Yeah." He swallows, pushing his hair from his eyes, "Sister Mary Robert said I need a haircut today." Rusty smirks, an arm around her waist as they walk.

"I can barely see your eyes, I think it wouldn't be such a bad idea." Sharon grins.

Eve watches as the duo return to her mother's office, having remained silent all the time. She looks to the group, "So…you've all seen naked pictures of me."

Andy rolls his eyes, leaning back in his chair.

"Not exactly the best ice breaker right now." Sanchez looks to her through the top of his eyes.

Sykes giggles, motioning to the white board in the front of the room, "Sorry, we've been looking at naked bodies all day."

"You still haven't found that guy?" Eve shakes her head, looking to the board, adjusting her skirt, "Anything I can do to help?"

"How could you possibly help us?" Provenza gives her a look, his face nearly morphing into that of a bulldog.

"Well, I studied psychology in college." She shrugs, "Not exactly the best field, but sometimes when one studies something like that, they are able to notice things that others wouldn't necessarily see." Eve stands walking closer to the photographs, "For instance, this particular cut on the forearms of these women is very detailed and this one is exactly the same on all of them." She points, "Forearm, almost shaped like a biscuit that one would use in a biscuit joint..."

"Biscuit joint?" The older man leans forward, watching her, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"In woodwork, if you're building a table and need to reinforce a joint, there's a tool that easily edges little football shapes out of it. I'm saying, you need to be looking for a carpenter."

"Hawthorne…" Tao sits up in his seat, "Max Hawthorne-" He rises from his seat, walking over to the board and pointing to the picture of the man, "Max Hawthorne's father was a carpenter when he was young. He then began to sell his pieces, which were works of art really, and hit it rich. Let me show you." He walks back to his desk, connecting his laptop to the projector via a wireless connection, "Right here." He pulls up an article with pictures, "This is a living room coffee table that he sold for fifteen thousand dollars and that was one of the cheaper pieces."

"How would you put a cup of coffee on that?" Flynn raises an eyebrow, "Eve, how did you know about the biscuit joint thing?"

"I didn't want to take home economics in high school, so I studied wood shop instead. We used them all the time." Eve smirks.

"No one thought of this?" Provenza stands, shaking his head as he glances around.

"With all due respect, Sir, not many schools offer classes like that anymore." Sykes shakes her head.

"I'll call for a warrant to search his place and possibly his father's place-"

"Problem." Tao puts a hand up, "Max Hawthorn's father, Thomas, has been dead for ten years. His wife entered a retirement community about two years ago. The house has lied dormant for that long."

"Why is that a problem?" Provenza shakes his head, "We could just go and ask her if-"

"She entered the facility for Alzheimer's disease."

"Damn." He shakes his head.

"Why is that a problem?" Sykes shakes her head.

"We could go ask for permission from the woman, but a lawyer is going to try to say she couldn't make her own decisions and isn't in her right mind and whatever evidence we obtain there could be thrown out the window." Sanchez nods to her, then looks back to Provenza, "Get the warrant."

Provenza picks his phone up, sitting back down, "In the meantime, Sykes and Sanchez, bring in our suspect. I'd like to talk to him again."

"Yes, sir." Sykes nods, rising from her seat with the other man.

Sanchez smirks, leaning to his girlfriend and giving her a quick peck on the lips before jogging to the elevator.

Eve smirks, folding her arms before sitting at Sanchez's desk.

"That was great." Flynn smirks, "You just solved your first case."

"All thanks to wood shop in high school." She rolls her eyes playfully, "And we don't even know if it's him."

"Yeah, but we're closer now than we have been in months."

"Good job, kid." Provenza nods, the phone to his ear as he waits on hold, "Hellish hold world of holding."

"How poetic." Eve grins, leaning back in her seat.


	14. Chapter 14

"What do you mean he was hit?" Louie Provenza's voice barks over the telephone line, causing the rest of the squad room to watch him intently, "Sykes, it was a routine pick up."

"He was waiting for us, Sir." Amy Sykes watches the ER area where they work on her partner, "He was..." She swallows, willing herself not to cry, "It was so quick. I tried to go after him, but-"

"He is armed and dangerous and you let him get away?" He sighs, "I'll be there shortly. I have to go tell the Captain now." He slams the phone onto the receiver, rubbing a hand through his hair, "Damn it. Listen up. Captain!" Provenza calls out, knowing the woman can hear him from inside her glass walls.

Sharon hears the commotion and nods to Gavin as he talks to Rusty. She steps out, "What's this about, Lieutenant?" She notices her daughter peek out through the blinds as the young woman eats her lo mein noodles with metal chopsticks that she happens to keep in her purse.

"While apprehending a suspect," He motions to the main picture in the middle of the board, "The suspect opened fire on Sykes and Sanchez, wounding him in the gut. He's in surgery right now, but..." Provenza shrugs, shaking his head a little, "There was little information she could give me."

Eve appears at her mother's side, having heard every word, "What hospital?"

"Cedars," Provenza nods, "Captain, I think it would be best, given the situation with Rusty that-"

"I'll stay here, but Lieutenant..." Sharon shakes her head a little, her eyes wet behind her glasses, "Please, I beg of you, keep me informed."

"Of course, Captain. This has happened before. He'll be fine, he's a fighter." He pulls on his sports coat, walking toward the elevators.

"I'm going with you." Eve walks after him, uncertainty masks her eyes as she folds her arms behind her back, something she used to do when she was small.

"You sure you're up for that, kid?"

"He's my boyfriend, Lieutenant Provenza. There's no other place I'd rather be than by his side." Her voice shakes, but her composure is that of determination. She follows the man onto the elevator and through the garage to an unmarked police car. "I don't think I've ever actually seen you drive." Eve climbs inside

"Because they don't usually let me." Louie shakes his head, starting it up, and pulling it out from the spot, "I know Julio...he cares a great deal about you."

She doesn't look to him, clasping her hands together in her lap to steady their trembling, "Back at the office, you said this happened before, what did you mean by that?"

He nods slowly, watching the road as he drives slowly, carefully, "He took some bullets for me once."

Eve glances over to him after a moment, "Why?"

Louie sighs, "Something that happened. Kid was on a roof, I made a dumb move."

"I...I don't know much about his past. I've noticed the scars on his shoulder though." She swallows, "And I know he had a wife once, but she died...and that's kind of it. He doesn't like to talk about himself much."

"Maybe you care about him more than you cared to admit."

"What makes you think I don't care about him?"

He shrugs, "Just a feeling I get from you."

"I should have driven there myself, we would get there sometime this month."

"Do you, Ms. Raydor, Do you care about him?"

Eve is silent a few moments, "He, single handedly, has helped me realize that..." She shakes her head, "This is stupid."

"Eve-"

"That men find me attractive."

"Why wouldn't they?"

She clears her throat, awkwardly adjusting how she's sitting. There was something about Provenza, something that she didn't understand, but it made her know that the man was trustworthy and open. "If you order a table from some place and when you receive it, you find that it's defective with dents and scratches on it, not even to mention that it can't support the weight of anything you put on it, you send it back. You rid yourself of it. It's defective goods. I'm defective goods."

"You aren't a table, Eve." Provenza shakes his head, "It shouldn't take some guy to make you feel otherwise."

"I felt like I was floating on air when I was with him, not to mention the sex," She can't help but grin ever so slightly, "...I was desirable for a change."

"Please, don't take this the wrong way, but you are a very attractive young woman. I'm sure guys would line up to be with you."

Eve blushes, "The hospital...it made me manipulative and that isn't a quality I like having...I don't like being reckless either and it seems I've run down that path as well. I don't mean to be this way...I really don't. I had to be that way in there in order to get through a single day, but it doesn't seem like I'm able to just fall out of it."

"Then why are you manipulative and reckless now?" Provenza glances to her.

"I don't always notice it. Sometimes I don't realize I'm doing it until after the fact." She glances to the large hospital building as they roll up to it, "Were any of his family informed?"

"I don't know. Let's take a look before I call his mother." Provenza parks the car, not yet putting the gear into park before the young woman is out of the car.

Eve jogs up to the sliding glass doors, noticing Sykes standing next to the room, leaning against the wall, "Where is he?"

Amy Sykes slowly looks up to the young woman, not expecting her. She places her foot on the ground and rubs the back of her neck with her hand, "He's...he's in emergency surgery right now for some bleeding. We should find out more soon." She motions to the window beside her.

The young woman moves closer when she realizes she can see everything the doctors were doing, "Oh, Julio." She whispers, tears coming to her eyes as she places her hand against the glass of the window.

Provenza walks over when he sees the two women, "Hey, was anyone called? His family?"

"I don't know who that would be." Sykes shakes her head.

"Alright." He takes a quick look through the window, "Come on, let's go get some water or something. I'll take to the doctor when he becomes available and give a call to the Captain." He waves his hands for them to sit in the waiting room. Louie talks to the woman at the front desk and speaks to the Doctor when he steps out. Provenza looks to the two distraught, yet quietly reserved women sitting there. One donning a look of uncertainty as she gently rubs the cross on the chain around her neck, the other wearing a look of regret. He sighs, picking up his cell phone.

"Yes, Lieutenant. Any news?" Sharon Raydor slowly paces her office floor, her iPhone pressed against her ear.

"The bullet nicked his Aorta. He'll be touch and go for a while. Nothing else though." Provenza hushes his voice as he summarizes Detective Sanchez's condition when speaking to her so the other women wouldn't hear him.

"Oh God." She swallows, closing her eyes as she pauses, crossing her arms.

"Amy and Eve are here and I'm sure neither one of them are going to want to leave any time soon."

"Probably not. Do they know?" Sharon clears her throat, her voice full of emotion.

"No, ma'am. I haven't told them yet."

"I...I feel like I should be there, Lieutenant." She runs a hand through her hair.

"That would probably be a good idea right about now." Provenza nods slowly, "I'm sure Flynn or Tao can handle things."

"Yes...I...I'll be there soon." Touching the screen of her phone to disconnect the call, she turns, realizing Gavin and Rusty had been watching her the entire time instead of speaking of the issue at hand with the young man.

Gavin stands, "What happened?"

"Detective Sanchez was wounded during a routine pick up a couple hours ago and...it isn't looking very good. Lieutenant Provenza is," Sharon steadies herself, her voice hitching, "It isn't looking very good for him."

"Oh, honey." He shakes his head, moving over to his friend and wrapping his arms around her, "You should be there."

"Want me to drive you?" Rusty swallows, looking up at her.

"You need to sort things out with-" She motions to the man with his arms around her.

"Oh, he's finished. Let him take you." Gavin nods.

"The entire...they're all going to want to be there." Sharon motions to the rest of the Murder Room.

"So tell them. Send some uniforms to apprehend the guy who did it."

"You're right."

"There is very rarely a time when I'm not." He smirks.

"What about...Kate is downstairs and-" Sharon begins.

Gavin shakes his head, "Uncle Gavin can have some quality time with his favorite girl." He returns to the small table in Sharon's office, packing his briefcase.

"I couldn't impose." She shakes her head.

"I'll text Mac to go to our house after school instead of the apartment. She can help." Rusty nods, taking his cell phone from his pocket and doing just as he says.

"It's settled then." Gavin grins to her, "Go talk to your team. I'll keep Detective Sanchez in my thoughts."

"If you believe in God, this is the time to start praying." Sharon nods to her friend as she grabs her purse and walks to the main area, telling the other men the situation and nodding when they all say they want to go.

"Kid, are you sure you want to take her? I can do that." Flynn stands, nodding to Rusty.

Rusty shrugs, "I'm going regardless, so..."

"I'd expect no different." He smirks, taking the keys from a drawer in his desk. He walks to his wife, taking her hand as they lead the way to the elevators with the rest of their team.


	15. Chapter 15

Eve Raydor grips onto the man's limp hand, holding it to her cheek as her shed tears drip onto his tan dry skin, "You are so brave, Julio. So brave." She whispers, her other hand reaching up to gently stroke his waxed black hair. Taking in the tubes down his throat, she swallows. "This shouldn't have happened."

"Sometimes it does, though. It's what we all sign up for." Sharon Flynn stalks into the room. The squad had been there a few hours, but the young woman wouldn't leave his side since he was cleared for a few visitors. Stepping closer to her daughter, she places a hand between her shoulder blades, "You should eat."

"I'm not leaving his side." Her voice wispy as she places her face next to his.

"You need to eat and take your meds."

"I said I'm not moving." Eve nearly barks, moving her head to the side and seeing her mother in her peripheral vision.

Sharon swallows, "You know he'd want you to."

"Don't do that. Don't pretend to know what we felt for one another...what we...what we felt-" She shakes her head, biting the inside of her cheek, "What we were planning..."

"Would you be willing to tell me?" She moves to the other side of the bed, placing a hand over Julio's other as it rests on the bed, keeping her eyes on her daughter.

"I don't think I should. You would..." Eve swallows, "But he might die so...so then where would I be?"

"He's not dying."

"Of course not. If he dies I'll kill him." She smirks to herself.

Sharon rolls her eyes, "When you feel comfortable-"

"Only if you promise me that you won't judge me."

Tilting her head to the side, "I already know you were sending him naked pictures and your relationship was exclusively for sex. Disappointed, a little, but I will never judge you."

"You being disappointed isn't just a better way of saying you're judging me?"

"I'm worried. Disappointed may not have been the best of words."

Eve sighs, still combing her nails gently through his hair, "I've been using him."

"Using him?"

"To not only make myself feel better, but to open the possibility up to becoming a mother."

Sharon shakes her head, shocked slightly. Nothing that her daughter did anymore would surprise her much though, "That isn't...this isn't the way to do it. Not by taking advantage-"

"He agreed that I should."

"What?" She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear, just watching the girl.

"We agreed that neither of us was getting any younger. He wants to be a father."

"You do know, Eve, he isn't much younger than I am."

"Case and point." Eve swallows, biting her lip, "But...as terrible as all this is, it's...I can't lose him, Mom." She shakes her head, "I just can't."

"How long as this all been going on, Evey?" Sharon reaches a hand over to touch her daughter's arm.

The young woman shrugs, "Since the Policeman's Ball." Her voice soft, stroking the back side of his hand.

"And the two of you made all these decisions after one night?"

"Yes."

"Were you even sober?" Sharon shakes her head.

"Very." Eve glances over to her, "I don't usually do that, the spur of the moment thing, but...I wanted to. Something inside me told me that it was the right choice. This was the way to...to get what I wanted and give what he wanted."

"And what did he want?"

"Me." She smiles, "He's been. It's...I know they call him the Ladies' Man, but...I don't care about that."

"This is a huge thing, honey." Sharon swallows, not wanting to see her daughter hurt based on making hasty decisions.

"I know." Eve nods, "I trust him...I don't...I don't trust other men. I know he would take care of things. He's helped me...helped me realize that it won't always remind me of-" She stops herself and bites her lip again, leaning down to kiss his the temple of his head, "If I eat, I can come right back, right?"

"I'll have Provenza sit with him. We can go together."

"I had lo mein earlier."

"Then we can get coffee."

"Tea?"

"Yes, I forgot we shared the love of a good cup of tea." Sharon smiles.

"I've been dying for some peppermint." Eve grins to her, leaning down to kiss the man at the corner of his mouth, next to the tubes, "Provenza is going to sit with you whether he likes it or not." She speaks to the still unconscious man, nodding to him, "Don't worry, I'm just getting something warm to drink and I'll be right back. I think my mother believes I'm losing it by not moving from your side all day. She's probably right. I'm crazy about you." She teases, "I'll be right back, baby." Eve nods, moving from him, watching as her mother leads her out.

Sharon motions for Provenza to go in and offers Flynn a smirk as they walk past him. Andy Flynn rises from his seat, joining his friend near the younger man in the bed, "No one knows how to get the girls like Julio Sanchez." He teases, chuckling.

"I asked him for pointers once." Louie chuckles, sitting in the nearby seat next to the bed.

"How'd that go?"

"He told me in was a natural thing in his Latino blood. I told him he was full of shit, but I'm starting to think there may have been something to it."

Andy chuckles, sliding his hands into his pockets, "You wouldn't happen to have anything for indigestion on ya, would you?"

"Yeah, let me pull that out of my ass for you." Provenza gives him a sarcastic look, "We're in a hospital. I'm sure they have them around here somewhere. You alright?"

"I've just had really bad...bad heartburn all day." He shakes his head, rubbing his chest with a fist.

Louie raises an eyebrow, "You look kinda pale, Flynn."

"Nah, I'm fine. Just need an antacid and I'll be fine." Andy sighs, "For as banged up as he is, Julio still looks good."

"I didn't expect him to look like an ogre or anything like that, but...yeah." He smirks, "And he's still the Ladies' Man."

"For the record, I never doubted your abilities, Sanchez."

"That girl has been in here since they've let us back. You already know that though." Provenza nods, "Captain is real broken up by you too. Sykes blames herself. You and these women."

Andy starts stretching his arms behind his head, watching the man in the bed, "I remember last time. He didn't want us to call anyone."

"Which is why I didn't call anyone this time." He looks up to his old friend, "What the hell are you doing?"

Shaking his head, Flynn looks to him, "I feel sick...I feel weird. It's hot as hell in here." He clears his throat, sweat forming on his brow.

Provenza stands, "Sit down." He rushes to the other side of the bed, pulling over a chair from the empty area next to them. Leaning down, he looks his friend in the eye.

"I feel tight...my chest."

He swallows, jogging out to the waiting area, "Someone get a doctor, and for God's sake, go get the Captain."

Tao stands, "What's going on?"

Provenza catches the man's look, "Flynn's having a damn heart attack."


	16. Chapter 16

"We were sitting at this high table and Gavin was being hit on by probably one of the most attractive men I've ever seen in my entire life. Andrea is kicking him under the table, telling him to go ahead and flirt back. I'm nursing a cold beer-" Sharon Raydor grins to her daughter as they sit in the small hospital cafeteria, nursing a styrofoam cup of coffee in her hand.

"Wait, how long ago was this?" Eve giggles, bringing a saltine cracker to her lips.

"Oh, I don't know, a few months ago probably." She nods, "So he looks to the man and just tells him flat out to get lost. Andrea and I are completely...shell shocked. All he's been talking about is finding a boyfriend lately. So she leans over to him and asks him why he just sent this guy away." Sharon pauses, beginning to laugh herself, "And he says because the guy had a wedding ring on and his wife was at the table with him, and he wasn't into threesomes." They chuckle harder, actually hitting the table with an empty hand.

"That's rich." The younger woman grins to her mother, slowly picking her head up to notice a figure running toward them, "Rusty, want something to eat? I hear people your age like to do that kind of thing." She smirks, noticing the expression on his face, she stands, "What happened to Julio?"

"Not..." Rusty pauses, putting his hands on his knees to catch his breath, "Sorry, not Julio. Andy."

"What about Andy?" Sharon tilts her head to the side, "Are you okay?"

"Andy's having a heart attack."

"What?" She shakes her head, "You can't think this is funny-"

"I know."

"You can't think this is a joke."

Rusty shakes his head, "I wouldn't have run all the way down here just to mess with you." He looks as if he's about to cry, "I should go get Mac. She's still at home with Mr. Baker."

Eve shakes her head, watching her mother run off toward the elevators, "No, I want you to get your things and-"

"That's her dad. She'd want to be here." His face turns ever so slightly angry, "She should be here."

"Listen to me, this isn't a good place right now for her to be." She begins walking with him, "You either and Gavin probably needs a break. Go home to Kate. She needs all the comfort she can get. I trust you with the Flynn girls. Understand?"

"This is stupid." Rusty shakes his head, swallowing, "That's all? You just want me to go and babysit?"

"No, you don't-" Eve shakes her head, "You're going to be my link between home and here. Mom probably won't be home tonight, so Kate needs someone she's actually going to fall asleep with. Mac needs someone with a level head. She...she obviously doesn't know any of this yet. You're the only one that can offer her that. You're in charge until someone comes over...Mom or myself...whoever."

He reaches out, hugging the girl he's grown to call his sister, "He looked like shit."

"Well, if he's going to have one, this is the best place for it." She returns his hug, gripping him tightly, "I love you. Okay?"

Rusty nods slowly, "I'll walk with you...I need my bag and my keys. Make sure Mom doesn't try to drive herself. She can't afford to pay attention as it is and she's worse when she's stressed...or upset."

"I know. I'll make sure someone drives her when she's ready." Eve gently kisses his cheek as they quickly walk toward the elevators.

"I was gone for...what the hell happened?" Sharon calls out.

"Don't yell at em." Andy glances to the nurses and resident doctor as they work him up, slipping a nitroglycerine tablet under his tongue.

She glances down to him, "You aren't unconscious?" Sharon offers him a slight smile, tears escaping her eyes, "First Julio and now...my team is falling apart."

"Provenza figured it out."

"I just noticed the symptoms." Louie shrugs, "Liz thought I was having one once. She looked everything up. Turned out it was just gas in my case, but...better safe than sorry."

Sharon bites her lip, "I should have seen it and I didn't."

Flynn shakes his head, taking a deep breath of the air being pumped through a nasal cannula at his nose, "You didn't do anything. Just like Sykes didn't do anything to make Sanchez hurt."

"I'm your wife. It's different."

"Shar, I mean it." He looks at her, "Just relax."

"You're in the middle of a heart attack. How can you be calm?" Her hand trembles as she absently strokes the back of his hand with her thumb.

"Exactly. I'm the one with the heart attack-" Andy groans in pain, "Shit".

Sharon shakes her head, "No, this can't be happening. You take care of yourself."

"Sometimes it just happens. Get Mac and Matt here."

Eve walks in behind them, shaking her head, "Rusty's with Mac and Katie. He'll tell her and be my link to the house."

"What about Matt?" Andy looks to her, "Let Chad know I won't be at the meeting tonight."

She kisses his cheek, "I'll take care of it, Andy."

"Thanks, Eve." He watches the young woman, "You need take care of your mother-"

"You aren't dying. Stop talking like that." Sharon swallows, "Stop, please."

"Shar, we have a great life. We have a beautiful little girl together. We have...so much. Shar, if I don't make it-"

"Andy, please..." Pouting ever so slightly, the familiar burn of tears return to her eyes, "You're going to be fine."

"In case I don't make it, I love you more than anything...anyone. You are my hero, Sharon Flynn." Andy grips her hand, bringing it to his lips and gently kissing her knuckle.

Eve watches them, leaving quickly when she feels herself beginning to cry. Standing outside the door a moment, she slowly picks her head up, noticing the eyes of the rest of the department looking at her, "He's...awake still. In pain..." She swallows, "If anyone needs me, I'm...I'll be with Julio." Eve slowly stalks off to the other man's room

Amy Sykes stands straighter, folding her arms, "What are we supposed to do? I don't understand what we're supposed to do."

Tao glances over to the young woman, "We do what we do best, Sykes, we work and we pick up where they left off. This is a family thing now."

Buzz shakes his head, "This shouldn't be happening."

Provenza steps out of Flynn's room, his eyes reddened, "Why don't we uh...Someone go get food. I think we'd all agree that this is where we need to be tonight." He nods, noticing how upset the other people are, "This is the best place for them. This is where thy need to be. Let's see what we can send over to the Flynn kids as well."

"Yes, Lieutenant." Sykes nods.

"I can't promise this is going to have a good income. I can't promise it will have a good outcome for either one of them, but we, as a team, have never let them down. We aren't going to start now. We take care of our own. These are strong men who have always had our backs. Kate is going to have her father back no matter what."

Amy smiles slightly, "Yes, Sir."

Tao smirks, "Let's get something."

"See if we can get a table from the staff. I want this to be a family dinner." Provenza nods, motioning around the room before walking to Sanchez's area.

Eve doesn't pick her head up, just sitting on the side of the man's bed, holding his hand as she looks at her cell phone. She's able to tell who it is based on the clicking of their shoes, "Family dinner?"

He smirks, walking closer to the bed, "It's Flynn's favorite. Once, we were all stuck in the office for Christmas-"

She nods slowly, "My mother never got to us in Salt Lake City with my grandparents. Chad didn't speak to her for a month."

"I'm sure he got over it."

"He had to, but he shouldn't have had to."

Louie nods, "True."

Eve smirks, "I do well during this. I'm...I like stress sometimes. I like taking care of things for people."

"You're like your mother."

"Not right now." She sighs, reaching a hand up to stroke Sanchez's hair, "She doesn't know what to do right now. She's lost."

"Her husband had a heart attack-"

"I mean, I can't help her except for taking care of things at home. She's focused on Andy. Since we're a team and he's like a brother to you, you'll do your part as well. You need to be there for your division."

Provenza smirks a little, "Have you ever heard of fight or flight instinct?"

"Of course."

"You're in fight mode."

Eve Raydor snorts, "I was taught well when I was growing up, Lieutenant."

"I can tell." He nods, "How's he doing?" Louie motions to Sanchez in the bed.

"Great, all things considered." She pauses, "Five reconstructive surgeries on his shoulder?"

"Yeah. He was a trooper. Was more humored that I ran as opposed-"

"You ran?" Eve smirks, beginning to giggle.

"As opposed to the shots that were deflating his lung. Yes, I ran." Provenza answers gruffly.

"I'm sure he enjoyed it. That's all that matters." She reaches over, touching the old man's arm, "Everything will be alright."

"Yeah, let's keep telling ourselves that." Louie nods.


	17. Chapter 17

Sharon walks out of her husband's room, looking to the group with their table set up. Smiling sadly, "Family dinner?"

Sykes slowly glances up, placing a plate of pasta onto the set table, "Captain, the Italian place down the block-"

"Fucci's?"

She nods, "Tao and I went in to order, and they insisted on donating everything." She smirks, "That's good, right?"

Sharon Raydor shrugs, "I suppose I can't find anything wrong with it. As long as you didn't barge in demanding food be given to you for free, which I know you the two of you wouldn't do. Lieutenant Provenza...possibly."

"Hey now, I only did that once when I left my wallet at my desk." Louie Provenza smirks to her, "How's he doing?" He motions toward Flynn's room with his hand.

"He's resting at the moment." She nods slowly, "Stable, obviously they must perform some...some tests on him to figure a course of action, but he's fine right now."

"You know, what he said about you back there...how much he loves you...He meant every word of it. It wasn't only said out of duress."

"The feeling is mutual." Sharon smiles simply, looking to the table, "They donated everything on the menu?"

Tao shakes his head, "Not so much, Captain. They donated three types of pasta, Chicken Marsala, salad, a desert. I offered to pay, but-"

"I know, Mike, it's okay." She waves her hand, glancing up with her daughter steps out of Julio Sanchez's room, "Yours?"

Eve shrugs, "He can hear me. He was squeezing my hand when I was talking to him. Responding when I asked questions." She offers a smile, walking over to her mother to hug her closely, "Italian?" She looks to the rest of the group.

"Looks that way." Provenza smirks.

"Talked to Mac and Matt, they're fine. Matt pretended he didn't care, like usual, but I could tell he could. Chad is a bit broken up..." She swallows, then smiles, "Rusty said Kate is following Mac around the house yelling at her for no real reason."

"Sounds like her mother." He nods, "I'd expect no less."

Sharon offers him a smile, then walks to the table with her daughter, "Thank you everyone."

Eve grins, holding her mother's hand. Feeling the soft vibrations and catchy song tune emulating from her pocket, she reaches down to pull her phone out, touching the screen, "Hello?"

Mac clears her throat, sitting in the bathroom against the door, "How do you deal with them?"

Smiling softly, "Rusty and Kate?"

"Yeah, they're...they're really close and I'm just...I'm not as close as they are."

"Neither am I." Eve shakes her head, "You just deal."

"He won't let me call. He told me not to. How's Dad?" The teenage girl's voice is weak and unsteady as if she had been crying.

"Oh, he's fine. Sleeping right now. They're going to run some tests and set a course of action." She sighs, "I'll text Rusty. You're allowed to call me whenever you need to."

"Okay. At least Mr. Baker is here."

"Still?" She raises an eyebrow, "Rusty didn't tell me."

"Said he's not going anywhere until he hears things are clear." Mac sighs.

"Sounds like Gavin." Eve smirks, "He's harmless."

"He's going to teach us to make sushi tomorrow."

"Is he spending the night?" She chuckles softly.

"I guess. I don't know where-"

"We've made do in that house more times than I care to admit, even with slumber parties and friends visiting. Let him have Mom's room. Rusty can take the couch-"

"He's been sleeping on the floor of his room when I'm here...lets me have the bed."

"Then, he'll sleep on the floor." Eve shrugs, "Did you guys get something to eat?"

"Yes, Chinese today. Mr. Baker told us that he'd treat us to a restaurant, but we didn't really feel like it would...we didn't want to be away from home." Mac swallows, "Can I see Dad tomorrow?"

"Yeah, I will come get you or have someone come and get you. I'll check and see when his tests are scheduled for and let you know a time. It was just really...really crazy here tonight and-"

"I understand." She nods slowly, "Just...tell him that I love him. Make sure he knows."

"You can tell him yourself tomorrow, but I will let him know tonight." Eve smiles, "Listen, Mac, he's going to be okay. You know your Dad. He's a strong guy, healthy too. That counts for something."

"Something yeah, but what...he still had a heart attack." Mac bites her lip, "I got to go. Rusty is calling for me and I don't want him to know I was on the phone."

"If you need me to yell at him, text me." She nods, "He's not doing it to be mean, Mac. He's trying to take care of you."

"Yeah." Mac nods, touching the screen to disconnect the call before standing. She steps over to the sink, looking at herself in the mirror located above it. Her skin pale and her brown eyes reddened because of tears, she reaches out, pulling at the mirror to expose the medicine cabinet behind it. Her eyes scan shelf to shelf, not seeing anything that would interest her. Mac returns to her old standby, moving to the shower and spotting a razor hanging from the wall. Nothing fancy. Taking it from the wall, she bends down, slamming it in the tub to shatter the cheap plastic. "I'll buy her a new one." Mac murmurs to herself, gently pulling her jeans down. Scars of slicing past, she thought she had overcome this. Thought being the key word. The girl presses the razor blade against the skin of her thigh, sighing with relief when she sees the trail of blood begin to form. This is what she knew.

Gavin presses his hear against the door, "Mac? Sweetie, you okay?"

Mac jumps, cutting a little too deeply. She hisses, "I'm...yeah."

He shakes his head, "Are you decent?"

Looking up toward the door, she bites her lip. This was bleeding pretty bad and she knows there's no way in hiding it. "Just don't...don't freak out and don't let Rusty in here."

Gavin slowly opens the door, shutting it behind him. He spots the girl bleeding as she presses a white towel against the wound, "What happened?" He keeps his voice hushed.

"I'm fine, but it's bleeding too much. It doesn't usually-"

He shakes his head, "It's fine. We can clean it up."

She watches as he's careful not to get any of the blood on his John Varvatos henley shirt, pushing up the sleeves ever so slightly, "You always dress nicely."

Gavin smirks, "I'm gay, girl. Good fashion is in my DNA." He nods, "Sharon must have a bandage or two around here." He holds the towel to her thigh, "Without making a sex joke, this is the closest I've ever been to a girl's skivvies."

Mac giggles a little, pointing to a cabinet, "I think there's some big ones in there that dad brought over from when he was stabbed."

"Your father was stabbed?" He stands, reaching for the cabinet she referenced to.

The younger girl watches him intently, noticing the unmistakable mark on his wrist, "You used to cut too?"

Gavin realizes she can see and pulls his sleeve back down, "It was a long time ago." He turns after finding the bandages, "But yes." The man kneels in front of her again, "You really have to be careful."

"How did you stop?"

"Oh..." He shrugs, looking her in the eye, "I told my mother that I liked boys."

Mac nods slowly, "I tried that. My mother told me I was abnormal and that I should go to an institution."

He smirks a little, "You're a lesbian?"

"Yeah...Mom doesn't want anything to do with me, but I told Dad. He and Sharon don't care all that much."

"That's what you want. Luckily, my mother told me she already knew and that if she loved me all that time, why would it change now?" He chuckles, "She was the most brilliant and loving woman until the day she died."

"I...I didn't know-"

Gavin waves his hand, "Oh girl, parents aren't parents if they ever doubt or deny their love for you. Do you understand?" He adjusts the bandage, "Pull your pants on carefully. That's going to hurt for a few days, just make sure you cover it up after you shower. Seems first aid training during summer camp when I was fourteen has stuck."

Mac smiles, looking to him "So, I shouldn't worry about my mother and just love what I have?"

"Exactly. Some people luck out with mothers, like me, some people don't, like you and Rusty. Seems the Flynns know how to pull together though."

"What about dad's wife?"

"Sharon? She's the most loving of them all." He nods, "Come on, give Uncle Gavin a hug."

"Do I really have to call you Uncle Gavin?"

"Oh, just humor me." Gavin hugs the girl tightly, "It will get better. I promise." He nods, "Just stop with the cutting. It hurts and it leaves scars everywhere. That never looks nice in a swim suit." He shakes his head, opening the bathroom door for her to see Kate standing there with a smile on her face, "Rusty, why isn't she in the walker?"

"It's baby jail!" Rusty calls to him, popping popcorn in the kitchen.

"Well, that baby jail lets us know where she is." He picks the girl up, "Right, Katherine?" Gavin walks back to the living room.

Mac waits a moment, looking at the bloody towel in her hand. She jogs to the washing machine, throwing it inside before returning to the rest of the group. The stress about her father slowly beginning to subside with the company around her.


	18. Chapter 18

Opening his eyes slowly and glancing about the room, it takes Andy Flynn a moment to realize exactly where he was. He slowly licks his lips, seeing his wife sleeping in the chair next to him, he smirks. "Shar." His voice gruff with sleep, "Shar."

Sharon Flynn's eyes bolt open when she hears her husband's voice. She smiles, pushing the blanket that the hospital offered her aside as she stands. "Hey."

"You didn't have to get up." He shakes his head, "You okay?"

"Am I-" She grins more, nodding, "I'm fine. How about you?"

"How do I look?"

Sharon's smile fades some, leaning in to kiss his temple, "You give Cary Grant a run for his money."

"Thank you." Andy smiles, "How long have I been out?"

"Few days." Sharon nods slowly, "I gave consent for them to perform an angioplasty. They said everything went well."

"Where's Mac?"

"Eve said she'll have Rusty bring her by again later. She was here to help me decide what to do with your heart."

"You involved her?" He holds her hand to his chest.

"Of course. I wouldn't do it any other way." Sharon shakes her head, "It went swimmingly, no scars, just a few needle pricks. They call it percutaneous. Staff wants to still keep you here a few more days."

"I love it when you spout medical jargon." Andy smirks.

"I love it when you wake up." She leans down again, kissing his lips.

Eve pushes the door open, looking to them and raising an eyebrow, "Is this what you two put Rusty through?" She smirks.

"Hey." He reaches for the young woman.

Moving to the side of the bed, she kisses her stepfather's cheek, "You look like hell."

"Your mother said Cary Grant."

"She also isn't wearing her glasses." Eve smirks.

"How is Julio?"

"Some confusion. He's getting this time blurred with the last time he was shot." She nods.

Sharon sighs, "When it rains, it pours."

"Tell me about it." Eve shrugs, "My mother always told me to look on the bright side of life..."

She slowly glances to her daughter, "Did I?"

"You did." The younger woman grins, then glances to the man again, "I'm glad you woke up, Andy."

"So am I." Andy nods slowly.

"I'm going to go sit with Julio. Rusty should be by soon with the girls."

"Good."

Eve smiles, stepping out of the room and returning to that of her boyfriend, who was now sitting up. "Did you push the button yourself?"

"Yeah. It's not hard." Sanchez smirks, watching her every move, "You look...beautiful."

"In a hospital bed and still the ladies' man." She leans over, kissing him softly and running her nails through his hair, "How you feeling?"

"How do you think I feel?"

"That wasn't the question." Eve sits on the edge of the bed next to him.

"Don't worry about me. You ask me that all the time. Don't worry about it."

"That's all I can think of asking you, Detective Sanchez, because I nearly lost you."

Julio sighs, "I've taken bullets before-"

"None that hit your aorta." She holds his hand, tracing each finger on the palm side with her nail, "I was scared to death and you're making a joke of it."

"I'm a police officer. It happens." He nods, "You should have seen Provenza run."

"That was last time." Eve glances over to him.

"Oh...I thought-" Julio's smile fades

"It's okay." She shakes her head, offering him a smile, "Andy is doing well too. Seems everyone is on the mend."

The man takes hold of her hand more, watching her, "Let's get married."

"What?" Eve shakes her head, "Why?"

"Because we can. It isn't every day that you wake up to a beautiful woman who has your back no matter what."

"You're in a hospital bed. You're on pain medication-"

"I'm not delusional with...whatever. I'm not just saying this. I've thought of it for months now..."

"We've only been together for a month and only just became boyfriend and girlfriend less than a week ago." Eve sighs, shaking her head, "You're thinking of something else."

"I'm thinking you're Eve Raydor."

"Yes."

"And I'm thinking of how hot that body is and how beautiful your face is and-"

"I now have diabetes with that sweetness overload." She makes a face, "Julio, I don't...I can't right now. Okay? We'll talk about it when you're out of here."

"I don't understand."

Eve swallows, "The medicines they give you can cause disorientation and hallucinations among other things. I want you to be of sound mind when you ask me something like that." It wasn't like she would accept then either. She has grand feelings for this man, she would trust him with her life, but marriage...that wasn't something she had ever thought about with him, or even desired.

"I remember you said we could get married if you ever found out you were carrying my child."

"I'm not though." She shakes her head, "It's a big 'if', Julio."

"Why not before?"

"That's not who I am anymore."

"People meet and marry the same night in Las Vegas all the time-"

"This isn't Las Vegas and those same people also divorce quickly afterwards." Eve watches him, "Why all of a sudden?"

Julio sighs, shaking his head, "Just cause-"

"No, I know you better than that."

He pauses, waiting a few moments, "While I was...out, I had a dream that, for some reason, things were different. We were together, but you were back at the institution. You killed yourself because they wouldn't let you leave and come home to me."

She watches him intently, cocking her head to the side, "I don't live with you now, Julio."

"I said it was a dream." Sanchez watches her, showing his vulnerable side, "Nightmare, whatever."

"You're older than me." Eve swallows, "It would...I go for older guys all the time and it never-"

"You don't need to convince me. You can think about it." He smirks.

Not able to resist him, especially while he's weak, she nods, "I'll think about it if you think about it."

"Deal." Julio nods, "What time is it?"

"Still early. They've let Major Crimes division take a...hiatus of sorts while you and Andy are holed up here-"

"What happened to Lieutenant Flynn?"

Eve sighs, her eyes closing a moment. "I forgot you weren't-"

"What happened?"

"After you were wounded, he and Provenza were visiting with you." She swallows, "Andy had a heart attack-"

Sanchez tries to get out of the bed, only to be stopped by the young woman, "I have to-"

"Do what? You're both in crappy shape. You more so than him. So lay back down and shut up." Eve nods.

He groans, smirking, "Bossing me around."

She rolls her eyes, helping him find a comfortable position.

Several hours later, Rusty walks to the revolving door of the hospital after parking the car. Kate in his arm, he turns, looking to the other girl with them, "Mac, they're this way."

"Have I mentioned how much I hate hospitals?" Mac groans, following closely, the diaper bag hanging on her shoulder.

"Only every ten minutes." He smirks, "It's alright if you think of it more as a hotel than a place where people die."

She pauses, looking at him, "I forgot people die here."

Rusty sighs, rolling his eyes, he takes her by the arm, pulling her to the elevators.

"What if he looks weird? What if we get up there and he-"

He shakes his head and looks to her, "Don't worry, alright? He's just going to be happy that you and Katie are there."

"What about you?"

"What about me?" Rusty looks to her.

Mac shrugs, "Won't he be happy to see you?"

"I don't know."

"Rusty...he thinks of you like his other son or a stepson. You've been part of the family for years now."

Rusty nods quickly, "Still can't help things that happened in the past." He shrugs, pointing to the room areas. He notices a couple of the officers sitting in the waiting area, "Detective Sykes, Buzz, I'm sure you remember Mac Flynn."

"Oh, yeah, Sure." Buzz grins, standing to shake her hand, "Your dad talks about you all the time."

Mac offers a cordial smile to the both of them, then walks to where she sees her stepmother through the window.

Sharon turns, when she notices the door squeak open. She grins, hugging the girl tightly, "Andy." She pats his leg, "Someone is here to see you."

Andy opens his eyes, having been resting the day away. He grins, "Hey, baby."

The young girl steps closer to her father, tears in her eyes, "Hi, Daddy." She tilts her head to the side, almost afraid to touch him.

He shakes his head, "No tears." Andy wraps his arms around his daughter, "No tears, baby." He strokes her hair.

"I thought you were going to die and I'd have to go back with Mom-" Mac's voice is heavy with emotion as she leans into her father's embrace.

"Never, baby. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon." He shakes his head.

Sharon places a hand over her own chest, nodding to him as she steps outside the room for fresh breath of air. She smiles when she sees Rusty with Kate, "Gavin been treating you guys well?" She gently takes the baby from his arms, smiling when she instantly places her head on her mother's shoulder. Sharon gently reaches a hand out to place on Rusty's back.

"Yeah, it's been fun, actually." Rusty smiles when Kate cuddles up to her mother, "She's missed you."

"I know...I'm sorry."

He shakes his head, "You need to be here." He smiles, "Eve in with Detective Sanchez?"

"Probably. She's barely left his side." Sharon raises an eyebrow with a smirk.

"The non-boyfriend."

"Oh, she's been calling him boyfriend." She nods, "Still odd if you ask me."

"Random." Rusty shrugs, "But the heart is a fickle thing."

Sharon makes a face, "Let me guess, you've been reading Shakespeare."

"Something like that." He smirks, "I'm glad to see you too."

"Likewise." She wraps her free arm around him, holding him close.

"If I ask you something, do you promise not to make it...a thing?"

"You can ask me anything. You know that."

"I've given it some thought and I'm tired of people giving me looks when I tell them my last name is different from that of Eve or Mac." He shrugs, "I've been thinking of changing my last name to Raydor...Though I'd prefer it, I think Andy would get angry if I tried to change it to Flynn-"

"Angry? Absolutely not, Rusty. If you'd feel more comfortable asking him, feel free." Sharon grins, "I think he'd love it."

"Yeah?" He places a hand on Katie's back, "I feel like I stick out in this family because I'm not a Flynn or a Raydor. I want to have the same last name as my mom."

"Okay." Sharon nods, "Maybe ask Gavin-"

"I did. He thinks it's a great idea. Thought I should have done it as a Christmas surprise, but I'm not showy like that and-"

"That sounds like Gavin." Sharon nods slowly, smirking, "I think it would help with everything as well. I wish we would have done it sooner."

Rusty smiles a little, nodding, "Me too."


	19. Chapter 19

"You need to take it easy." Sharon walks with her husband through the front door of their bungalow, "And you're on my diet now."

"Which I'm not exactly thrilled about." Andy sinks to the sofa, watching her scurry about the house.

"It's delicious." She gives him a look.

"Says you." He nods, "Am I allowed to do anything?"

"No heavy lifting anymore. Anything over fifty pounds, I believe, is the limit."

"Shar-"

"And no strenuous activities for a couple weeks. No jogging." She adjusts things around the house that were out of place from the children and Gavin in the days before.

"Sharon." He tries again.

"And your diet has to be healthy. I bought a large pill container with the days of the week so that I can put all of your medications out and not worry about them day to day." Sharon shakes her head, "Did you see the large bag from the drugstore? That's all your things."

Rising off the sofa, Andy finally wraps an arm around her, snapping her out of it, "I'm right here. Talk to me."

"I don't think I can." She answers quietly, "I don't think I can without..." Sharon pouts absently, "I have to take better care of you or-"

"I'm not going anywhere. What is it with you girls? First it was Mac and now you..."

Sharon shakes her head, slowly turning in Andy's arms to face him, "It scared me to death, Flynn, and you were making jokes."

"It was happening to me, Shar. I'm the one who felt the elephant on my chest." Andy shakes his head.

"Right, but all I could do was watch." She whispers, looking him in the eye, "All I could..." She shakes her head, reaching up to adjust the collar of his business shirt, her chin dimpling with emotion.

He sighs, placing a hand to her cheek to wipe away a stray tear with his thumb, "It was my fault. I should have been taking better care of myself. You had nothing to do with it."

"That doesn't make me feel otherwise." Sharon swallows, "I almost lost you and...it's only made me realize just how...discombobulated I'd be without you."

"That's not coming for a long while yet-"

"There is no saying when, Andy. I don't think you realize just how serious it was." She shakes her head.

He kisses her hair, "I thought I wasn't ever going to see you again and that fear alone nearly killed me if the heart attack wasn't going to."

Sharon closes her eyes, gently placing her head over his chest to hear his heartbeat.

Andy strokes her hair, knowing what she's doing, "It beats for you, Shar." He swallows, "Sure, my girls are my world, you know that. Without you in that world, none of it would mean anything." He picks her head up, kissing her lips tenderly, "Want to go lie in bed?"

"No sex, Andy. Not for a week."

"They said two days after the procedure!"

"And I said a week. Give me some peace of mind." Sharon nods.

"Doesn't mean I can't kiss you and take your breath away."

"Rusty is here. We were supposed to go look at colleges this weekend." She slowly walks past him, smirking. Knocking on his door before opening it, she sees the young man she had grown to call her son, "Hey."

Rusty turns, wearing jeans and a polo, "I didn't even hear you guys come in."

"Where's Katie?"

He motions to the toddler's sleeping form in the middle of his bed, "She helped me pick my shirt."

Sharon nods slowly, "Don't you remember, I said we would have to postpone the-"

"Eve is taking me." Rusty smiles, "She said Lieutenant Provenza agreed to sit with Julio and we're hitting a couple places for tours today."

"Oh." She smiles, though wanting to do it herself, she knew she had to be home today, "That's nice of him."

"Yeah, so..." He shrugs, "I'm going to take videos of them with my phone so that you can see them too."

Sharon nods, "This is a big step, Rusty. Don't let incentives or scholarships swing your decision."

"I'm not picking today." Rusty smiles to her, "Relax, Mom, I want you to see them too."

"Okay." She gently hugs him close, "Put Katie in her crib before you go?"

"I'm not stupid." He rolls his eyes, returning her hug, "I'm glad you're back home."

"Me too." Sharon kisses his hair before returning to her husband. She sighs, entering the kitchen when she notices he isn't on the sofa. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm making lunch."

"Leftover pizza from the other night is-"

"One piece of pizza isn't going to kill me. Besides, Gavin is as much a health nut as you are. This is probably some kind of...healthy pizza. I can tell."

"Oh? And which of your detective skills told you that?" Sharon rolls her eyes a little, opening the fridge and smiling when she spots a leftover chicken ceasar salad, "You should be having this instead."

"Hand rolled wheat crust, sliced whole tomatoes as opposed to sauce, goat cheese, spinach, olive oil...healthy pizza." Andy smirks.

"Still." She opens the container, "You need to get used to salads."

"I eat salad."

"I don't mean pasta salad or chicken salad."

"Neither do I, but chicken salad should be alright if it's made right."

Sharon gives him a look, "This isn't up for debate."

Andy takes a bite of his pizza, smirking as he watches her.

Eve Raydor slows her car to a rolling stop before climbing out and walking up to her mother bungalow that she once called home herself when she was younger. A cream colored pencil skirt clings to her hips while a matching blazer covers her kelly green blouse. She walks through when she hears speaking from the kitchen, "Hey." She smiles to her mother and stepfather, leaning over to kiss them each on the cheek, "You look much better than you did."

He shrugs, "All things considering. Where's Mac?"

"School. Rusty has a pass for the day." She nods, tugging the refrigerator door open and pulling out a bottle of water, "Stealing this."

Sharon shakes her head, "Make sure one of you is taking notes."

"I am. Rusty is taking video as well, he said." Eve nods.

"That's what he said, just make sure he remembers to." She runs a hand through her hair.

The younger woman smirks, "What are you so worried about?"

"He has some scholarship offers already. I don't want him taking those schools simply because he has scholarships to them. I'll take care of his schooling just like I did with you and your brother. Make sure he understands that." Sharon waves her hand as she speaks, "He feels guilty about it."

"I'll make sure he doesn't." Eve nods, then waves her hand, "I'm going to go grab him. You two don't do anything I wouldn't do...and I don't do anything I would." She turns, walking away from them.

Andy chuckles, "Can't make any promises." He takes a sip of his water.

"We can watch a movie." Sharon looks to him over her glasses.

"We can make out on the couch." He can't help but smirk.

"Kate is napping. We still have to tend to her." She shakes her head, "Is that all you've been thinking about?"

"Having you in my arms any way I can get it? Yes."

Sharon blushes, shaking her head as she stabs the salad leaves with her fork, "I want to do something nice for Lieutenant Provenza."

Andy makes a face, "Nothing that involves what we were just talking about though, right?"

She rolls her eyes, "No. I mean a vacation for he and Liz or a dinner. Something." She sighs, "They've helped us in so many ways.

"So have your friends. It's what friends do for one another." He shrugs, "But if you want to, I'm sure they wouldn't turn it down. Provenza is cheap as hell."

"Being cheap isn't-"

"I'm aware, Captain." Andy smirks.

Sharon shakes her head, rising from her seat and walking over to the sink, picking up a kettle on the way, filling it slowly, "After I finish this, I'm going to go take a shower."

"Good, I feel like I need another vacation."

She turns quickly, "I'm not laughing."

"The hospital was vacation." He nods, watching her, "Not much of a vacation without you."

Sharon folds her arms over her chest, looking at him, "Do you get that you almost died?"

"Shar-"

"Do you get that your heart almost failed on you and there was absolutely nothing I could do to make it better for you? Do you know how worried not only I, but the rest of your family was? Do you have any idea how much it pained me to watch you suffer in a bed knowing that the only thing I could do was hold your hand and tell you that everything would be okay, when I didn't even know for sure myself?" Slowly shaking her head, she continues, "I'm going to go and shower, just...just turn the stove off when it starts to whistle and-"

"Shar, please..."

"I just need to sleep...I need to take a nap." Sharon shakes her head again, angry tears coming to her eyes as she turns away from him.

Andy sighs, whispering to himself, "Damn it." He runs a hand through his hair as he cleans up from lunch, only to stalk back to his seat on the sofa.


	20. Chapter 20

"UCLA?" Sharon sits on the sofa with Rusty, an arm lazily around the boy as she leans against him, watching the videos that he had captured on his phone, via the television, "Is that the one you like?"

"That, Cal State, or Loyola Marymount University." Rusty shrugs, his arm around her shoulders, "I like all three."

"I'm surprised you even entertained the idea of LMU. That's a Catholic college."

"Well, I go to a Catholic high school, so I figure-"

"Okay." Sharon smiles, "I'm proud of you for remembering to take the video...and the notes."

"Eve took better notes than I did, but...thanks." He nods slowly, "Which did you like most? I mean, based on the notes and the videos."

"It isn't about what I like. The thing I appreciate, about all three, is that you'll be close to home." She nods, "Able to experience campus life while being able to come home for dinner on Sundays or for the entire weekend."

"I like that too." Rusty smirks.

"Yeah, so...which are you leaning toward?"

"UCLA."

Sharon nods slowly, "Is it because you have a scholarship there?"

"I do, but no. I just really...it's a popular college, yeah, but...everyone was really nice and it was kind of peaceful. Peaceful and chaotic all at the same time." He nods, "Do you know what I mean?"

"Possibly."

"There were guys tossing around a football on one side and another playing acoustic guitar under a tree on the other. Girls studying on a blanket on one side and a sorority meeting on the other. I walked onto the grounds and...I felt like I belonged there."

Sharon smiles, "You always belong, Rusty. No matter where you go."

Rusty nods slowly, "Maybe you can go with me to see it again soon? I think I'm going to go there, but I want you to see it before it's a constant."

"I'd love to." She nods, still watching the videos from the phone and laughing softly at the video of Kate taking her first steps pops up, "She's gotten so big since then."

"Yeah, I know." He looks down at her, "You okay?"

Sharon smiles, but doesn't move from her position of leaning against him, "I'm fine, just...a little stressed, I suppose. It's nothing."

"Usually, when you say a situation is nothing, it's usually something. So...you might as well talk about it."

"Fine." She slowly sits up, still watching the television, "Is it a bad thing that..." Sharon shakes her head a little, attempting to search her mind for the words, "Is it a bad thing that I want Andy to fear that each day may be his last?"

"Well...when you put it that way-"

"I may not have phrased that properly. I just want him to feel how much stress he put us all through. I want him to know just how we felt as..." She shakes her head, "What we felt when he was in surgery and even when it was happening."

Rusty nods slowly, "I don't think it's a bad thing."

"Thank you." She nods.

"I don't think it's a good thing either." He watches her, "I think that maybe the easiest way for him to...to get over it, is to put it on a back burner. Just because he doesn't act like it scared the shit out of him, doesn't mean he actually feels the same way."

Sharon sighs slowly, "I'm going to miss this." She leans over, taking hold of his hands.

"You act like I'm not going to be here all the time."

"You might not be." She shakes her head, "You might get there and find someone that you'd rather spend your time with or maybe you have a term paper due and won't want to come home-"

"That isn't going to happen." Rusty shakes his head, "You're not getting rid of me unless you want to."

"Why would I want to get rid of you? You're my son." Sharon nods.

"Fine, but just...maybe ease up on Andy." He shrugs, "I don't usually say that, but you know..."

"You're the only calm one in this house."

"Wasn't always that way." Rusty smirks.

Sharon smirks as she stands, "I'm heading to bed...and to apologize to my husband."

"Good idea." He nods, "I'll be up a little bit longer. I'm going to watch these videos a few more times before I call it a night."

She leans down, kissing the top of the young man's head, "Good night, Rusty."

"Night." Rusty smiles, watching the video over again.

Sharon stealthily walks to her bedroom, noticing the light on. She slowly pushes open the door, seeing her husband in front of the mirror, looking at his scars, "Hey."

Andy glances to her reflection, "Hey."

"I um...I wanted to apologize-"

"So did I."

"What do you have to apologize for?" She shakes her head, folding her arms, "I'm the one that wanted to-"

"I never took your feelings into consideration about this." He motions to the small pieces of tape covering stitches on his chest, "I never considered how hard it must have been to tell them to do the surgery or...watching me-"

"Andy-"

"Watching me be in bed without...I'm just, I'm real sorry, Shar."

Sharon walks closer to him, "It's okay."

"It isn't okay."

"It is. I shouldn't have pushed you like that. I shouldn't tell you have to feel...about anything."

"You didn't. You can't tell someone how to feel if they already felt it." Andy shakes his head slowly.

Sharon bites her lip, "Yeah?"

"Can't cry if you're laughing." He shrugs, smirking to her.

"I guess not." She smiles in return. Slowly leaning up onto her toes, she plants a kiss upon his lips.

"Shar, I wouldn't have gotten through this if it weren't for you." Andy kisses her in return, "I mean it."

"I wouldn't have gotten through anything without you." Sharon leans her head onto his naked chest, listening to his heartbeat, "I love you."

"I love you too, Shar." Andy's arms pull her closer, kissing the top of her head.


End file.
